Words of Comfort 



WESLEY LEE WALLS 



iHIBs£>$b&£d4 




LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

(hap. Copyright No..J.v--~ 

Shelf. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



Methought I heard One calling, " Child ! " 
And I replied, " My Lord ! " 

—George Herbert. 



WORDS OF COMFORT 



Other Bible Lessons, 



INTERSPERSED WITH 



POETIC PARALLELS. 



(MPILED V.S 



COI 

WBSLBY LEE WALLS, 
LOGANSPORT, INI). 



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AUG *7 188 

\ N8POR1 : 



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COPYRIGHT 1896 BY WILSON, HUMPHREYS & CO. 
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 



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PREFACE. 



In compiling this little work (the labors of 
which have been prosecuted through many days 
and nights of sickness and pain), we have been 
prompted by the hope that it might be the 
means of lifting up the fallen, comforting those 
wlio mourn, and brushing aside bitter tears from 
the eyes of those who weep, thus giving re- 
newed strength to fight life's battle. If its cir- 
culation will accomplish the work of finding but 
the "one"lost sheep and restoring it to "the 
ninety and nine that went not astray," our labors 
will not have been in vain, and our most ardent 
desire will have been realized. 

Kindly asking the public to overlook any 
and all shortcomings on the pari of the com- 
piler, we prayerfully send forth our little book 
upon its mission. 

Wesley Lee Walls. 



THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 



i. 

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 

II. 

'1 hou shalt not make unto thee any graven 
image, or any likeness of anything that is in 
heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or 
that is in the water under the earth : thou shalt 
not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; 
tor I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting 
the iniquity of the fathers upon the children 
unto the third and fourth generation of them 
that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands 
of them that love me and keep my command- 
men! 3. 

III. 

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord 
thy God in vain : for the Lord will not hold him 
guiltless that taketh I lis name in vain. 

iv. • 

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 

Six days shall thou labour, and do all thy work : 

but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord 



» THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

thy God : in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, 
nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, 
nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy 
stranger that is within thy gates; for in six days 
the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all 
that in them is, and rested the seventh day ; 
wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and 
hallowed it. 

V. 

Honour thy father and thy mother; that thy 
days may be long upon the land which the Lord 
thy God giveth thee. 

VI. 

Thou shalt not kill. 

VII. 
Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

VIII. 
Thou shalt not steal. 

IX. 

Thou shalt not bear false witness against 
thy neighbor. 



THE TEX COMMANDMENTS. 



X. 

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, 
thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his 
man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, 
nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour's. 




CHARITY. 



Though I speak with the tongues of men and 
of angels, and have not charity, I am become as 

sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and 
understand all mysteries, and all knowledge ; and 
though I have all faith, so that I could remove 
mountains, and have not charily, I am nothing. 

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the 
poor, and though I give my body to be burned, 
ami have not charity, it proliteth me nothing. 

Charity suffereth long and is kind; charity 
envicth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not 
pulled up, 

Dotb not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not 
her own. is not easily provoked, thinketh no 
evil; 

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the 
truth ; 

Beareth all things, believeth all things, 
hopeth all things, endureth all things. — I. Corin- 
t h ians xiii. 1-7. 

Charity is greater than Justice? Yes, it is greater; it 

i- ill'- -hi i iin it of Justice it is the temple nl u Im h Justice 

is the foundation. Bui you cannot have the top without 



Il' 



CHARITY. 



the bottom; you cannot build 
build upon Justice, for the mail 
at first Charity to build with, 
good work. Do justice to you 
whether you love him or not), 
him. 

Ruskin's Wreat 



ion Charity. You must 
■eason that you have not 
It is the last reward of 
brother (you can do that 
id you will come to love 

of Wild Olive; 




THE LORD'S PRAYER. 



Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed 
be thy name. 

Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in 
earth, as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread. 

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our 
debtors. 

Ami lead us not into temptation, but deliver 
us from evil : For thine is the kingdom, and 
the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. 

Hallowed be Thy name- Hallelujah!— 

Infinite Ideality! 

Immeasurable Reality! 

Infinite Personality! 
Hallowed be Thy name Hallelujah! 
We feel we are nothing I'm- all is Thou and in Thee; 
We feel we are something thai also has come from 

Thee; 
We know we are nothing but Thou wilt help us to be. 
I [allowed be Thy name I tallelujah! 

Alfred Tennyson. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 



And I will give peace in the land, and ye 
shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid : 
and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither 
shall the sword go through your land. — Leviti- 
cus xvvi. ('). 

Thank God for rest, where none molest, 

And none can make afraid, — 
I' or peace that sits as Plenty's guest 

Beneath tin- homestead shade! 

—John Greenleaf Whittier. 



And I will walk among you, and will be 
your God, and ye shall be my people. — Leviti- 
cus xxvi. L2. 

I lo leads us on 
By paths we did not know, 
I Fpward he leads us, though OUr Steps hi' slow, 

Though oh we faint and falter on the way, 

Though storms and darkness oft obscure the day, 
Yet when the cl Is are gone, 

We knOW I le leads US oil. 

Anonymous. 



1(3 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, 
nor be afraid of them ; for the Lord thy God, 
he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail 
thee nor forsake thee. — Deuteronomy xxxi. 6. 

The way is dark, my child! but leads to light; 
I would not always have thee walk by sight. 
My dealings now thou canst not understand. 
I meant it so; but I will take thy hand, 
And through the gloom 
Lead safely home 
My child! 

— Henry N. Cobb. 



The Lord killeth, and maketh alive; He 
bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. — 
I. Samuel ii. (3. 

O sleep divine! surcease of pain! 

The truce of God with care and strife! 
Thy sweet forgetting who can gain 

Has plucked the very flower of life. 
But at the last, by thee embraced, 

We find at length how sweet, serene, 
Their rest who all life's acts outplayed, 

Wait at God's hands the new next scene. 

—Harriet Tyng Griswold, 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 17 

Behold, happy is the man whom God cor- 
rected! : therefore despise not thou the chas- 
tening of the Almighty. —Job v. 17. 

Hear tnei God! 

A broken heart 

Is my best part; 
I se still thy rod, 

That I may prove 

Therein thy love. 
If thou hadst not 

Been stem to me, 

But left me Eree, 
I had forgot 

Myself and thee. 
For sin's so sweet 

As minds ill-bent 

Rarely repent, 
I 'ntil they meet 

Their punishment. 

Ben Jonson. 



For ! know that my Redeemer livefli, and 
that he shall stand at the latter day upon the 

earth. — Job xix. 25. 

I know beyond this masquerade 

I >!" shape and color, light and shade, 
And daw n .nul set, and wax and wane, 

Eternal verities remain. 

fOHN < ii;i i xi.i \i- WhITTIER" 



18 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

Be ye strong therefore, and let not your 
hands be weak : For your work shall he 
rewarded. — II. Chronicles xv. 7. 

Not him who never lifts his thought to heaven, 

Remembering whence his blessings have been sent; 
Nor yet to him are strength and wisdom given, 

Whose days with profitless scourge and fast are spent; 
But him whose heart is as a temple holy, 

Whose prayer in every act of right is said — 
He shall be strong, whether life's ills wear slowly, 

Or come like lightning down upon his head. 

— Phoebe Carey. 



Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not 
any: He is mighty in strength and wisdom. — 
Job xxxvi. 5. 

Almighty God! when round thy shrine 

The palm-tree's heavenly branch we twine — 

(Emblem of life's eternal ray, 

And Love that " fadeth not away"), 

We bless the flowers, expanded all, 

We bless the leaves that never fall, 

And trembling say, — " In Eden thus 

The Tree of Life may flower for us !" 

— Thomas Moore. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 19 

He deliveretli the poor in his allliction, and 
openeth their cars in oppression. — Job xxxvi. 15. 

For God hath marked each sorrowing day, 

And numbered every secret tear, 
And heaven's long age of bliss shad pay 
For all his children suffer here. 

—William Cullen Bryant. 



As for God, Ins way is perfect : the word of 
the Lord is tried; He is a buckler to all those 
that trust in him. — Psalm xviii. 80. 

No charms can hind, no flames consume the soul; 

God's breath dissolves the avalanche of ill; 
When the dark clouds of suffering round us roll, 

I [e sends his angels still. 

Tin >mas 1.. Harris. 



I will sing unto the Lord, because; he h 
deal) bountifully with me. — Psalm xiii. 6. 

Thy bounteous hand with worldly bliss 

I [as made my cup run o'er, 

And in a kind and faithful friend 

I las doubled all my store. 

Through all eternity in Thee 

A joyful song I'll raise, 
Ian nil, eternity's too short 

To utter all Thy praise! 

fO! i I'll ADD] 



20 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

The Lord also will be a refuge for the 
oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. — Psalm 
ix. 9. 

O God, win isc thunder shakes the sky, 
Whose eye this atom globe surveys, 

To Thee, my only Rock, 1 fly, 

Thy mercy in Thy justice praise. 

O teach me in the trying hour, 

When anguish swells the dewy tear, 

To still my sorrows, own Thy power, 
Thy goodness love, Thy justice fear. 

— Chatterton. 



Yea, though I walk through the valley of 
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil : for 
thou art with me ; thy rod and thy staff' they 
comfort me. — Psalm xxiii, 4. 

Yet if we will one guide obey, 
The dreariest path, the darkest way 
Shall issue out in heavenly day; 
And we, on divers shores now cast, 
Shall meet, our perilous voyage past, 
All in our Father's house at last. 

—Archbishop Trench. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 21 

For in the time of trouble he shall hide me 
in his pavilion : in the secret of his tabernacle 
shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a 
rock. — Psalm xxvii. 5. 

Jesus, lover of my sou], 

Let me to thy bosom fly, 
While the nearer waters roll, 

While the tempest still is bigb; 
Hide me, * > my Saviour, hide, 

Till the stunii of life is past; 
Safe into the haven guide, 

( ) receive my soul at last. 

—Charles Wesley. 



When my father ami my mother forsake me, 
then the Lord will take me up. — Psalm xxvii. 10. 

If thou hast ever hit that all (in earth 

Is transient and unstable, that the bopes 

Which man reposes on his brother man 

Are hut broken reeds; if thou hast seen 

That life itself " is hut a vapor," sprung 

from Tune's upheaving ocean, decked, perhaps, 

With here and there a rainbow, hut full soon 

To be dissolved and mingled with the vast 

And fathomless expanse that rolls its waves 

I >ii .very side around tin e; if thy heart 

I las deeply felt all this, and thus lias learned 

That earth has no security, then go 

And place thy trust in < rod. CASKET. 



22 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

Wait on the Lord : be of good courage, and 
he shall strengthen thine heart : Wait, I say, on 
the Lord. — Psalm xxvii. 14. 

Haste not! rest nut! calmly wait; 
Meekly bear the storms of fate! 
Duty be thy polar guide — 
Do the right whate'er betide! 
Haste not! rest not! conflicts past, 
God shall crown thy work at last. 

—J. W. DeGoethe. 



The angel of the Lord encampeth round 
about them that fear him, and delivereth them. 
— Psalm xxxiv. 7- 

Angel of Charity, who from above 

Comest to dwell a pilgrim here, 
Thy voice is music, thy smile is love, 

And Pity's soul is in thy tear. 

When on the shrine of God were laid 
First fruits of all most good and fair 

That ever bloom'd in Eden's shade, 
Thine was the holiest offering there. 

— Thomas Moore. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 23 

Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from 
the grave : thou hast kept me alive, that I 
should not go down to the pit. — Psalm xxx. 3. 

But Thou wilt sin and grief destroy, 
That so the broken bones may joy. 
And tune together in a well-set song, 

Full of His praises 

Who dead men raises; 
Fractures well cured make us more strong. 

— George Herbert. 



The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a 
broken heart ; and saveth such as be of a con- 
trite spirit. — Psalm xxxiv. 18. 

Thou, who dost dwell alone; 
Thou, who dost know thine own; 
Thou, to whom all are known, 
From the cradle to the grave— 
Save, < ), save! 

— Matthew Arnold. 



Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou 
dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be 
fed. — Psalm xxxvii. 3. 

I have no power to look across the tide, 

To see while here the land beyond the river; 

Bui this I know, I shall he Coil's forever; 

So I can trust. 

ANON 1 * mi a s. 



24 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them 
that fear him, upon them that hope in his 
mercy. — Psalm xxxiii. 18. 

Guard us, oh Thou who never sleepest, 
Thou who, in silence thfon'd above, 
Throughout all time unwearied, keepest 
Thy watch of Glory, Pow'r and Love. 
Grant that, beneath Thine eye, securely, 
Our souls, awhile from life withdrawn, 
May, in their darkness, stilly, purely, 
Like " sealed fountains," rest till dawn. 

— Thomas Moore. 



I have been young, and now am old ; yet have 
I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed 
begging bread. — Psalm xxxvii. 25. 

Forever round the mercy-seat 

The guiding; lights of Love shall burn; 
But what if, habit-bound, thy feet 

Shall lack the will to turn? 
To doubt the love that fain would break 

The fetters from thy self-bound limb, 
And dream that God can thee forsake 

As thou forsakest him! 

—John Greenleaf Whittier. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 25 

Mark the perfect man, and behold the up- 
right : for the end of that man is peace. — 
Psalm xxxvii. ^7. 

For one thing only Lord, dear Lord! 1 plead: 
Lead me aright — 

Though strength should falter, and" though heart should 
bleed- 
Through peace to light. 

I do ii"t ask, <) Lord, that thou shouldst shed 
Full radiance here; 

Give Imt a ray of peace, that 1 may tread 
Without a fear. 

— Adelaide Anne Procter. 



For the Lord God is a sun and shield : the 
Lord will give grace and glory : no good thing 
will he withhold from them that walk up- 
rightly. — Psalm lxxxiv. 11. 

In the path of duty -rows many a thorn, 

And bleak is the scorn of a selfish world; 
but there never was night without its morn, 

Ami alter the tempest the clouds are furled; 

For over all spreadeth the bright blue sky, 
Ami we trust in our Clod, who is always nigh. 

Wi LLIAM Win it R 



26 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he will 
sustain thee : He shall never suffer the righteous 
to be moved. — Psalm lv. 22. 

Come ye disconsolate, where'er you languish, 

Come, at God's altar fervently kneel, 
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish — 

Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal. 

—Thomas Moore. 



He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth 
up their wounds. — Psalm cxlvii. 3. 

Oh, Thou who dry'st the mourner's tear, 

How dark this world would be, 
If, when deceiv'd and wounded here, 

We could not fly to Thee! 
The friends who in our sunshine live, 

When winter comes, are flown; 
And he who has but tears to give, 

Must weep those tears alone. 
But Thou wilt heal that broken heart, 

Which like the plants that throw 
Their fragrance from the wounded part, 

Breathes sweetness out of woe. 

—Thomas Moore. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. '1 ( 

Come now, and let us reason together, saith 
the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they 
shall be as white as snow; though they be red 
like crimson, they shall be as wool. — Isaiah i. 18. 

From the confessionals I hear arise 

Rehearsals of forgotten tragedies, 

And lamentations from the crypts below; 

And then a voice celestial, that begins 

With the pathetic words, "Although your sins 

As scarlet be," and ends with " as the snow." 

—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 



And even to your old age I am he ; and even 
to hoar hairs will I carry you : I have made, and 
I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver 
you. — Isaiah xlvi. 4. 

Thou, who canst L, r uide the wandering star 
Through trackless realms of ether's space; 

Who calm'st the elemental war, 

Whose hand from pole to pole 1 trace; 

In Thee, my (h>d, to Thee I call! 
Whatever weal or woe betide, 

IJy'Tliy command I rise or fall; 

In Thy protection I confide. 

Byron. 



28 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye 
shall search for me with all your heart. — 
Jeremiah xxix. U}. 

Through every period of my life 

Thy goodness I'll pursue. 
And after death; in distant worlds, 

The glorious theme renew. 

—Joseph Addison. 



His compassions fail not ; they are new every 
lorning. — Lamentations iii. 22, 28- 

New every morning is the love 

Our wakening and uprising prove; 

Through sleep and darkness safely brought, 

Restored to life, and power, and thought. 

New mercies, each returning day, 

Hover around us while»we pray; 

New perils past, new sins forgiven, 

New thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven. 

— TOHN IyEBLE. 



Come unto me, all ye that labour and are 
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. — Matthew 
xi. 28. 

" Come unto me," the Savior cries, 

Nor speaks in accents falsely bland: 

" Hard is the way," He says, but " rise;" 
And then He takes us by the hand. 

— Thomas T. Lynch. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 20 

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; 
for I am meek and lowly in heart : and ye shall 
find rest unto your souls. — Matthew xi. 29. 

The soul, secure in her existence, smiles 
At the drawn dagger, and defies its point; 
The stars shall fade away, the sun himself 
Growdim with age, and nature sink in years; 
I '.nt tin in shalt flourish in immortal youth, 
Unhurt amid the war of elements, 
The wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds. 

— Joseph Addison. 



For the Son of man is come to save that 
ich was lost. — Matthew xviii. 11. 

from doubt, where all is double, 

Where wise men are nol strong; 

Where comfort turns to trouble; 

Where just men suffer wrong; 

Where sorrow treads on joy; 

Where sweet things soonest cloy; 

Where faiths are built on dust; 

Where lo\ e is half mistrust, 

I 1 1 1 1 1 ■ i \ ami barren, and sharp as the sea; 

< ), set us free! 

— Matthew Arnold. 



80 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

How think ye? if a man have a hundred 
sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth 
he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into 
the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone 
astray ? 

And if so be that he find it, verily I say 
unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than 
of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 

Even so it is not the will of your Father 
which is in heaven, that one of these little ones 
should perish. — Matthew xviii. 12-14. 

There were ninety and nine that safely lay 

In the shelter of the fold, 
But one was out on the hills away, 

Far off from the gates of go}d— 
Away on the mountains wild and hare, 
Away from the tender Shepherd's care. 
But all through the mountains, thunder-riven, 

And up from the rocky steep, 
There arose a cry to the gate of heaven, 

"Rejoice! I have found my sheep!" 
And the angels echoed around the throne, 

" Rejoice, for the Lord brings back His own!" 

— Elizabeth C. Clephane. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 31 

Again I say unto you. That if two of you 
shall agree on earth as touching anything that 
they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my 
Father which is in heaven. 

For where two or three are gathered to- 
gether in my name, there am I in the midst 
of them. — Matthew xviii. 19, 20. 

Heart answers ln-art: inonedesire 
The blending lines df prayer aspire; 

" \\ hen- in my name meet tun or three," 
< )ur Lord hath said, " I there will be!" 

— John Greenleaf Whittikk 



Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, 
and nol one- of them is forgotten before God ? 

I!n! even the very hairs of your head are all 
numbered. Fear not therefore : ye are of more 
value than many sparrows. — Luke xii. 6, 7. 

And I will trust that 1 1<- who heeds 

The life that hides in mead and wold, 
Wlin hangs yon alder's crimson heads, 

And stains these mosses green and gold, 

Will still, as I le hath done, incline 

I li- gracious care to me and mini-, 

('.rant what we ask aright, from wrong debar, 

And as the earth grows dark, make brighter every star. 

John ( rREENLEAF WHITTIER. 



32 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in 
prayer, believing, ye shall receive. — Matthew 



Unheard no burdened heart's appeal 
Moans up to God's inclining ear ; 
Unheeded by His tender eye, 

Falls to the earth no sufferer's tear. 

— John Greenleaf Wiiittier. 



Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the 
end of the world. — Matthew xxviii. 20. 

The seas shall waste, the skies in smoke decay, 
Rocks fall to dust, amd mountains melt away; 
But fixed His word, His saving power remains;— 
Thy realm forever lasts; Thy own Messiah reigns. 
— Alexander Pope. 



And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 
-Luke iii. 6. 

My share! To-day men call it grief and death; 

I see the joy and life to-morrow; 
I thank my Father with my every breath 

For this sweet legacy of sorrow; 
And through my tears I call to each "joint heir " 
With Christ, " Make haste to ask Him for thy share." 
—Helen Hunt. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 33 

For the Son of man is not come to destroy 
men's lives, but to'save them. — Luke ix. 56. 

From the world's temptations; 

From tribulations; 
Prom that fierce anguish 
Wherein we languish; 
From that torpor deep 
Wherein we lie asleep, 
Heavy as death, cold as the grave- 
Save, Save! 



Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's 
good pleasure to give you the kingdom. — Luke 
xii. 32. 

Simple, child-like trust is all, 

And needless our alarms, 
Sinpe over stumbling-stones we fall 

Into our Father's arms. 

—Wesley Lee Walls. 



The nexl day John seeth Jesus coming unlo 
him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of (rod, which 
taketh away the sin of the world. — John i. 29. 

All hail, Redeemer, hail! 

For Thou hast died for me; 
Thy praise and glory shall not fail 

Throughout eternity. 

\1 \ I TIII.W Bridgi s. 



34 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hear- 
eth my word, and believeth on him that' sent me, 
hath everlasting life, and shall not come into 
condemnation ; but is passed from death unto 
life. 

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is 
coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear 
the voice of the Son of God : and they that hear 
shall live.— John v. 24, 25. 

I say to thee, do thou repeat 
To the first man thou mayest meet 
In lane, highway, or open street — 
That he and we and all men move 
Under a canopy of love 
As broad as the hlue sky above; 
That doubt and trouble, fear and pain, 
And anguish, all are shadows vain, 
That death itself shall not remain. 
And one thing further make him know, 
That to believe these things are so, 
This firm faith never to forego, 
Despite of all which seems at strife 
With blessing, all with curses rife, 
That this is blessing, this is life. 

— Archbishop Trench. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. . 85 

And they shall come from the east, and from 
the west, and from the north, and from the 
south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of 
God. — Luke xiii. 29. 

beauteous God! uncircumscribed treasure 

Of an eternal pleasure! 

Thy throne is seated far 

Above the highest star, 

Where Thou preparest a glorious place, 

Within the brightness of Thy face, 

For every spirit 

To inherit 

That builds his hopes upon Thy merit, 

And loves Thee with a holy charity. 

— Jeremy Taylor. 



All that the Father giveth me shall come to 
me; and him that cometh to me I will in no 
wise cast out — John vi. 87. 

If I ask Him to receive me, 
Will He say me nay ? 
" Not till earth, and not till heaven 

Pass away." 

Finding, following, keeping, struggling, 

Is He sure to bleSS? 

" Saints, apostles, prophets, martyrs, 
Answer, Yes." 

[< ui\ Mason \t m.i . 



36 . WORDS OF COMFORT. 

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will 
draw all men unto me. — John xii. 32. 

Rise, heart! thy Lord is risen. Sing His praise 

Without delays 
Who takes thee hy the hand, that thou likewise 

With Him mayst rise — 
That, as His death calcined thee to dust, 
His life may make thee gold, and much more just. 
— George Herbert. 



And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, 
that will I do, that the Father may be glorified 
in the Son. 

If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will 
do it. 

If ye love me, keep my commandments. 

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give 
you another Comforter, that he may abide with 
you forever. — John xiv. 18-16. 

I have but Thee, my Father! let Thy spirit 
Be with me, then to comfort and uphold; 

No gate of pearl, no branch of palm I merit, 
Nor street of shining gold. 

— John Greenleaf Whittier. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. &i 

I am the living bread which came down 
from heaven : if any man eat of this bread, 
he shall live forever: and the bread that I will 
give is my ilesh, which I will give for the 
life of the world. — John vi. 51. 

And he took bread, and gave thanks, and 
brake it, and gave unto them, saving, This is my 
body which is given for you : this do in remem- 
brance of me. 

Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, 
This cup is the new testament in my blood, 
which is shed for you. — Luke xxii. 19, 20. 

When tin- Paschal evening fell 
I )eep on Kedron's hallowed dell, 
When around the festal board 
Sate tin- Apostles with their Lord, 
Then His parting word lie said, 
Blessed the cup and broke die bread 
" This whene'er ye do or sec, 
Evermore remember me." 
When in tin's thanksgiving least 
We would l; i \- < ■ to God our best, 
From the treasures of I lis might 
Seeking life anil love and light, 
Then, < > friend of human kind, 

Make us true and fir E mind, 

Pure of In-art, in spirit free 
Thus may we remember Thee. 

Dean Stanley. 



38 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

I am the door : by me if any man enter 
in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, 
and find pasture. — John x. 9. 

" Once I know I shall journey far 
Over the mountains high ; 
Lord, is thy door already ajar? 
Dear is the home where Thy saved ones are; 
But bar it awhile from me, 
And help me to long for Thee." 

—Anonymous. 



I am the good shepherd : the good shepherd 
giveth his life for the sheep. — John x. 11. 

Hear, Shepherd ! Thou who for Thy flock art dying, 
O, wash away these scarlet sins, for Thou 
Rejoicest at the contrite sinner's vow. 
O, wait! to Thee my weary soul is crying, 

Wait for me ! Yet why ask it, when I see, 
With feet nailed to the cross, Thou'rt waiting still 
for me ! 

— Henry Wads worth Longfellow. 



And this is the promise that he hath prom- 
ised us, even eternal life. — I. John ii. 25. 

Full many things are good for souls 

In proper times and spheres; 
Thy present good is in the thought 

Of the eternal year-;. 

—Frederick William Faber. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 39 

And this is the Father's will which hath sent 
me, that of all which he hath given me I should 
lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the 
last day. — John vi. 89. 

Iluly Spirit, dwell with me, — 
I myself would holy be; 
Separate from sin, I would 
Choose and cherish all things good; 

And whatever I can be, 

Give to Him who gave me Thee. 

— Thomas L. Lynch. 



Let not your heart be troubled : ye believe 
in God, believe also in me. 

Ill my Father's house are many mansions : if 
it were not so, I would have told you. I go to 
prepare a place for you. 

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I 
will come again, and receive you unto myself; 
that where 1 am, there ye may be also. — 
J«»hn xiv. 1-8. 

Our cradle is the starting-plai e, 
Life is the running of the race, 
We reach th< oal 

When, in the mansions of die blest, 

I >eath leaves to its eternal rest 
The weary soul. 

l h>\ Jorge Manrique. 



40 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

As the Father knoweth me, even so know I 
the Father : and I lay down my life for the 
sheep. 

And other sheep I have, which are not of 
this fold : them also I must bring, and they shall 
hear my voice ; and there shall be one fold, and 
one shepherd. 

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, 
and they follow me : 

And I give unto them eternal life ; and they 
shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck 
them out of my hand. 

My Father, which gave them me, is greater 
than all; and no man is able to pluck them 
out of my Father's hand. — John x. 15, 16, and 
27-29. 

Shepherd ! who with Thine amorous, sylvan song, 
Hast broken the slumber that encompassed me, 
Who mad'st Thy crook from the accursed tree, 

On which Thy powerful arms were stretched so long ! 

Lead me to mercy's ever-flowing fountains ; 

For Thou my shepherd, guard and guide shalt be ; 
I will obey Thy voice, and wait to see 

Thy feet all beautiful upon the mountains. 

— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 41 

And if any man hear my words, and believe 
not, I judge him not : for I came not to judge 
the world, but to save the world. — John xii. 47. 

From the ingrained fashion 
Of this earthly nature 
That mars Thy creature; 
From grief, that is but passion; 
From mirth, that is but feigning, 
From tears, that bring no healing; 
From wild and weak complaining — 
Thine old strength revealing, 
Save, O Save! 

— Matthew Arnold. 



T will not leave yon comfortless : I will come 
to you. 

Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no 
more ; but ye see me : because I live, ye shall 
live also.— John xiv. IS. 1<). 

The hour draws near, howe'er delayed ami late, 
When at the eternal gate 

We leave tin- wools and works we call our own, 

And lift void hands alone 

For love to till. Our nakedness of soul 

Brings to that gate no toll. 

( ii'ftless wi- come to Him who all things skives, 

And live because I le lives. 

John GREENLEAF WHITTIER. 



42 WORDS OF COMFORT. 



Peace I leave with you, my peace I give 
unto you : not as the world giveth, give I unto 
you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither 
let it be afraid. — John xiv. 27. 

Peace beginning to be, 
Deep as the sleep of the sea, 
When the stars their faces glass 
In its blue tranquility. 
"Peace on earth and good will!" 
Souls that are gentle and still 
Hear the first music of this 
Far-off, infinite bliss! 

— Sir Edwin Arnold. 



These things I have spoken unto you, that in 
me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall 
have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have 
overcome the world. — John xvi. 38. 

The world is very evil, 

The times are waxing late; 
Be sober and keep vigil, 

The Judge is at the gate. 
The Judge who comes in mercy, 

The Judge who comes with might, 
Who comes to end the evil, 

Who comes to crown the right. 

— Anonymous. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 43 

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever 
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be 
saved. — Acts ii. 21. 

Jesus I the very thought of Thee 

With sweetness fills my breast; 
but sweeter far Thy face to see, 

And in Thy presence rest. 
Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame, 

Nor can the memory find 
A sweeter sound than Thy blest name, 

O Savior of mankind! 

— Saint Bernard. 



The Spirit itself beareth witness with our 
spirit, that we are the children of God. — 
Romans viii. Id. 

Behold! What love the Father shows to men of mortal 

blood, 
That those who were the slaves of sin should be the sons 

of God! 
Born from above, celestial things our eyes now plainly 

And we can boast, though Kings may not, that we're 
( rod's family. 

James Challen. 



44 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

He that spared not his own Son, but deliv- 
ered him up for us all, how shall he not with 
him also freely give us all things. — Romans 
viii. 32. 

There are deep things of God; push out from the shore! 
Hast thou found much? Give thanks and seek for more. 
Doth fear the generous giver to offend ? 
Then think His store and bounty know no end. 
He needeth not to be implored, nor teased; 
The more we take, the better He is pleased. 

— Charles G. Ames. 



There hath no temptation taken you but 
such as is common to man : but God is faithful, 
who will not suffer you to be tempted above 
that ye are able; but will with the temptation 
also make a way to escape, that ye may be able 
to bear it. — I. Corinthians x. 18. 

The wrong that pains my soul below 

I dare not throne above; 
I know not of His hate — I know 

His goodness and His love. 
And if my heart and flesh are weak 

To bear an untried pain, 
The bruised reed He will not break, 

But strengthen and sustain. 

— John Greenleaf Whittier. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 45 

For we know that if our earthly house of 
this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a build- 
ing of God, a house not made with hands, eter- 
nal in the heavens. — II. Corinthians v. 1. 

Therefore to whom turn I but to Thee, the ineffable 
Name? 
Builder and Maker Thou of houses not made with 
hands! 
What, have fear of change from Thee who art ever the 
same? 
Doubt that Thy power can fill the heart that Thy 
power expands? 

— Robert Browning. 



Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a 
new creature : old things are passed away ; 
behold, all things are become new. 

And all things are of God, who hath recon- 
ciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath 
given to us the ministry of reconciliation. — 
1 1. Corinthians v. 17, 18. 

All is of C<><\ that is, and is to be; 

And God is good. Let this suffice us still; 

Resting in childlike trust upon His will 

\\ ho moves to 1 lis great cuds anthwarted by the ill. 

John Greenleaf Whittier. 



46 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

And ye now therefore have sorrow : but I 
will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, 
and your joy no man taketh from you. — 
John xvi. 22. 

There is a day of sunny rest 

For every dark and troubled night; 

And grief may bide an evening guest, 
But joy shall come with early light. 

—William Cullen Bryant. 



But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great 
love wherewith he loved us, 

Even when we were dead in sins, hath 
quickened us together with Christ, (by grace 
ye are saved ;) 

And hath raised us up together, and made us 
sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. — 
Ephesians ii. 4—6. 

As true as God's own word is true, 
Not earth or hell, with all their crew, 

Against us shall prevail. 
A jest and by-word are they grown; 
God is with us, we are His own, 

Our victory cannot fail. 

— Michael Altenburg. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 47 

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometime 
were fai off are made nigh by the blood of 
Christ. — Ephesians ii. 13. 

O, dearly, dearly has He loved, 

And we must love Him, too, 
And trust in His redeeming blood, 

And try His works to do. 

— Anonymous. 



That by two immutable things, in which 
it was impossible for God to lie, we might have 
a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge 
to lay hold upon the hope set before us : 

Which hope we have as an anchor of the 
soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth 
into that within the vail ; 

Whither the forerunner is for us entered, 
even Jesus, made a High priest forever after the 
order of Melchisedec. — Hebrews vi. 18-20. 

\ anished, too, are the thoughts, the dun, unsatisfied 
longings; 
Sunk arc the turrets <■!" cloud into the ocean of dreams; 
While in a haven of rest my heart is riding at anchor, 
Held by the chains "I love, held by the anchors ol 
trust ! 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 



48 WORDS OF COMFORT. 



Be careful for nothing; but in everything by 

prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let 
your requests be made known unto God. 

And the peace of God, which passeth all un- 
derstanding, shall keep your hearts and minds 
through Christ Jesus. — Philippians iv.0,7. 

Gift after gift do< ] ather send, 

Down to His children, for there is no en i 

ire that is eternal. But do 
On whom He spends his love, as often stay 
To give Him thanks ? 

Marianne Farmingham. 



When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, 
then shall ye also appear with him in glory. — 
Colossians iii. 4. 

Is it no', sweet to think, hereafter, 

When the spirit leaves this spl 
Love, with deathless wing, shall ivafl 

To those she long hath mourned for here i 

! )h, it no other boon were given 

To keep our hearts from wrong and stain. 

Who would not ir\ to wm a he 

Where ail we love shall live again? 

Thomas Moore 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 49 

The Lord is not slack concerning his prom- 
ise, as some men count slackness; but is long- 
suffering to us-vvard, not willing that any should 
perish, but that all should come to repentance. 
—II. Peter iii. 9. 

Believe thou, O my soul, 
Life is a vision shadowy of truth; 
And vice and anguish, and the wormy grave, 
Shapes of a dream! The veiling clouds retire, 
And lo! the throne of the redeeming God 
Wraps in one light — earth, heaven, and deepest hell. 
— Samuel Taylor Coleridge. 



For there is one God, and one mediator be- 
i ween God and man, the man Christ Jesus; 

Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be 
testified in due time. — I. Timothy ii.5, G. 

O yet we trust that somehow good 
Will he the final goal of ill, 
To pangs of nature, sins of will, 

Delects of doubt, and taints of blood; 

That nothing walks with aimless feet; 

That not one life shall be destroyed, 
Or cast as rubbish to the void, 

\\ hen God hath made the pile complete, 

—Alfred Tennyson. 



50 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

Wherefore he is able also to save them to 
the uttermost that come unto God by him, see- 
ing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 
— Hebrews vii. 25. 

Strong Son of God, immortal Love, 

Whom we, that have not seen Thy face, 
By faith, and faith alone, embrace, 

Believing where we cannot prove; 

Thou wilt not leave us in the dust : 

Thou madest man, he knows not why; 
He thinks he was not made to die ; 

And thou hast made him: Thou art just. 

— Alfred Tennyson. 



For I will be merciful to their unrighteous- 
ness, and their sins and their iniquities will I 
remember no more. — Hebrews viii. 12. 

When all Thy mercies, O my God, 

My rising soul surveys, 
Transported with the view, I'm lost 

In wonder, love and praise. 
To all my weak complaints and cries 

Thy mercy lent an ear, 
Ere yet my feeble thoughts had learnt 

To form themselves in prayer. 

— Joseph Addison. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 51 

And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, 
ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth 
not away. — I. Peter v. 4. 

< >n Alpine heights the herdsman tends his herd; 
His Shepherd is the Lord ; 
For He who feeds the sheep 

Will sun- His offspring keep, 
On Alpine heights a loving Father dwells. 

—Charles T. Brooks. 



But my God shall supply all your need 
according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 
— Philippians iv. 19. 

<) silent land, to which we move, 
Enough if then- alone he love, 
And mortal need can ne'er outgrow 
What it is waiting to bestow ! 

John Greenleaf Whittier. 



I write unto you, little children, because 
your sin-, an- forgiven you for His name's sake. 
— I. John ii. L2. 

•• Forgive! forgive!" the Savior cries; 

bet the whole earth the news attend; 
Jesus, the Lord of glory, (lies, 

Ami rises as the sinner's friend. 

J.\ mis Challen. 



52 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

Fear none of those things which thou shalt 
suffer : behold, the devil shall cast some of you 
into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall 
have tribulation ten days : be thou faithful unto 
death, and I will give thee a crown of life. — 
Revelation ii. 10. 

Say not the struggle nought availeth— 

The labor and the wounds are vain, 
The enemy faints not nor faileth, 

And as things have been they remain. 
For while the tired waves, vainly breaking, 

Seem here no painful inch to gain, 
Far back, through creeks and inlets making, 

Comes silent, flooding in, the main. 
And not by eastern windows only, 

When daylight comes, comes in the light, 
In front the sun climbs slow, how slowly, 

But westward look, the land is bright. 

— A. H. Clough. 



He that hath an ear, let him hear what the 
Spirit saith unto the churches : To him that 
overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden 
manna, and will give him a white stone, and in 
the stone a new name written, which no man 
knoweth saving he that receiveth it. 

And I will give him the morning star. 

He that overcometh, the same shall be 
clothed in white raiment ; and I will not blot 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 53 

out his name out of the book of life, but I will 
confess his name before my Father, and before 
his angels. 

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit 
with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, 
and am set down with my Father in his throne. 
— Revelation ii. 17 and 28 ; iii. 5 and 21. 

Not to one church alone, but seven, 
The voice prophetic spake from heaven, 
And unto each the promise came, 
Diversified, but still the same; 
For him that overcometh are 
The new name written on the stone, 
The raiment white, the crown, the throne, 
"And I will give him the morning star." 

— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 



For the Lamb which is in the midst of the 
throne shall feed them, and shall lead them 
unto living fountains of waters : and God shall 
wipe away all tears from their eyes. — Revela- 
tion vii. 17. 

O, small shall seem all sacrifice 

And pain and loss, 
Winn God shall wipe the weeping eyes, 
I'm- suffering give the victor's prize, 

The crown for cross. 

Jul in Greenleaf Whittier. 



54 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock : if any 
man hear my voice, and open the door, I will 
come in to him. and will sup with him, and he 
with me. — Revelation iii. 20. 

O Jesus, Thou art standing 

Outside the fast-closed door, 
In lowly patience waiting 

To pass the threshold o'er: 
Shame on us, Christian brothers, 

His name and sign who bear: 
Oh, shame, thrice shame upon us, 

To keep Him standing there! 

O Jesus, Thou art pleading 
In accents meek and low, 
" I died for you, my children, 
And will ye treat me so? " 
O Lord, with shame and sorrow 

We open now the door: 
Dear Saviour, enter, enter, 
And leave us nevermore. 

— W. W. How. 



Because thou hast kept the word of my 
patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of 
temptation, which shall come upon all the world, 
to try them that dwell upon the earth. 

Behold, I come quickly : hold that fast which 
thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 55 

the temple of my God, and he shall go no more 
out : and I will write upon him the name of my 
God, and the name of the city of my God, which 
is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of 
heaven from my God : and I will write upon 
him my new name. — Revelation iii. 10-12. 

Hold fast that word which must remain, 

Let no dark doubt invade us; 
He will he with us on the plain, 

With gifts and grace to aid us. 
Let life and honor fall, 
Let them take our all, 

Still our course we'll keep, 

No prize from us they'll reap; 
For us the kingdom waiteth. 

— Martin Luther. 



And he said unto me, It is done. I am 
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. 
I will give unto him that is athirst of the foun- 
tain of the water of life freely. 

He that overcometh shall inherit all things ; 
and 1 will be His God, and he shall be my son. 
— Revelation xxi. 6, 7. 

( >ver the silver mountains, 

Where spring the nectar fountains, 

There will I kiss the bowl of bliss, 

And drink mine everlasting fill 

l pon every milken bill, 

My soul will be a-dry before, 

But after, it will thirst no more. 

Sir WALTEK Ram m.ii. 



56 WORDS OF COMFORT. 



THE PLEASURES OF HEAVEN. 



There all the happy souls that ever were 

Shall meet with gladness in one theatre ; 

And each shall know there one another's face, 

By beatific virtue of the place. 

There shall the brother with the sister walk, 

And sons and daughters with their parents talk 

But all of God: they still shall have to say, 

But make him all in all their theme that day ; 

That happy day that never shall see night ! 

Where he will be all beauty to the sight ; 

Wine or delicious fruits unto the taste ; 

A music in the ears will ever last ; 

Unto the scent, a spicery or balm ; 

And to the touch, a flower, like soft as palm. 

He will all glory, all perfection be, 

God in the Union and the Trinity ! 

That holy, great and glorious mystery, 

Will there revealed be in majesty, 

By light and comfort of spiritual grace; 

The vision of our Savior face to face, 

In his humanity ! to hear him preach 

The price of our redemption, and to teach, 

Through his inherent righteousness in death, 

The safety of our souls and forfeit breath ! 

What fulness of beatitude is here ! 

What love with mercy mixed doth appear ! 

To style us friends, who were by nature foes ! 

Adopt us heirs by grace, who were of those 

Had lost ourselves ; and prodigally spent 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 57 



Our native portions and possessed rent ! 
Yet have all debts forgiven us; an advance 
By imputed right to an inheritance 
In his eternal Kingdom, where we sit, 
Equal with angels, and co-heirs of it. 

— Ben Jonson. 



LIGHT THROUGH THE DARK. 



All real pleasure comes through pain, 
The right through wrong and loss; 

The gold more value doth contain 
When rid of worthless dross. 

The wheat must grow among the tares 
Till winnowed by our God: 

Our human feet step into snares 
So long as earth is trod. 

To save our lives we strive in vain, 
And fast is slow and slow is fast; 

By losing life our lives we gain; 

Last shall be first and first be last. 

The sweetest music of the lyre 

No soothing would afford 
If it no tuning did require, 

And there were no discord. 

More melody for harsher sound, 
Less salt our tears for smiles; 

The straight and narrow way is found 
Through labyrinthian aisles. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 



And satan's counterpart so plain 

We see in serpent's crawl, 
But serves to show our final gain 

Through Adam's primal fall. 

The poet's lightsome rhythmic verse 

Inspires and gives repose; 
His gems of thought more bright and terse, 

Because of solemn prose. 

The fairest lily, sweetest rose, 

The more invite our eyes 
Because unsightly weeds do pose 

For artists in the skies. 

The beauties of the babbling brook 

And noisy little rill 
Are all the more enhanced by look 

On stagnant pond and still. 

The glorious sun of brightest morn, 
Which floods the world with light, 

The brighter is for having shorn 
The universe of night. 

The silver moon's serenest 

When climbing blackest sky; 

The distant spot the greenest 
On far-off hill and high. 

The unpretentious colors blend 

With those more bright and gay; 

When interfused, they do but tend 
To show us night and day. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 59 



The Springtime's common bloom and green 

The more we do recall, 
When sadder sights by us are seen 

In silent, solemn fall. 

Yet, through October's purple garb, 
With blow and list of angel-tune, 
The soft wind wafts from heav'n's bard 

A song of endless June. 

The clouds will come, the shadows fall, 

Our souls be racked with pain; 
Rut look! the rainbow comes, and all 

Its hues shine through the rain. 

Ami though the world be dark and grim, 

And veiled our human eyes, 
Be steadfast; put your trust in Him: 

The be'st may be disguised. 

And so from swaddling clothes to grave, 
The shine and shadow that we see 

Will only make our souls more brave, 
More glorious the life to be. 

Be patient, then, with life and all, 

Lot Chanty prevail; 
All pain and loss will seem but small 

When God shall lift the veil. 

— Wesley Lee Walls. 



OTHER BIBLE LESSONS. 



LOVE. 

But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless 
them that curse you, do good to them that hate 
you, and pray for them which despitefully use 
you, and persecute you. — Matthew v. 44. 

Love ? I will tell you what it is to love ! 

It is to build with human thoughts a shrine 
Where Hope sits brooding like a beauteous dove, 

Where time seems young, and life a thing divine. 

All tastes, all pleasures, all desires combine 
To consecrate this sanctuary of bliss. 

Above, the stars in cloudless beauty shine; 
Around, the streams their flowery margins kiss; 
And if there's heaven on earth, that heaven is surely this. 

— Charles Swain. 



A new commandment I give unto you, That 
ye love one another; as I have loved you, that 
ye also love one another. — John xiii. 34. 

What might be done? This might be done, 
And more than this, my suffering brother, 

More than the tongue 

E'er said or sung, 
II men were wise and loved each other. 

—Charles Mackav. 



62 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

Jesus saith unto him, Thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all 
thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

This is the first and great commandment. 

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt 
love thy neighbor as thyself. 

On these two commandments hang all the 
law and the prophets. — Matthew xxii. 37-40. 

Briefly, do as thou would'st be done unto, 

Love God, and love thy neighbor; watch and pray. 

These are the words and works of life; this do 

And live; who doth not thus hath lost heaven's way. 

O lose it not! look up; wilt thou change those lights 

For chains of darkness and eternal nights? 

— Henry Vaughn. 



And I have declared unto them thy name, 
and I will declare it : that the love wherewith 
thou hast loved me may be in them, and I 
in them. — John xvii. 26. 

In a service which Thy will appoints 

There are no bonds for me; 
For my inmost heart is taught "the truth," 

That makes Thy children " free," 
And a life of self-renouncing love 

Is a life of liberty. 

— Anna Letitia Waring. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 63 

Greater love bath no man than this, that a 
man lay down his life for his friends. — John 
xv. 13. 

Christ, the Lift; of all the living, 

Christ, the Death of death our foe, 

Who, Thyself for us once giving 
To the darkened depths of woe, 

Patiently didst yield Thy breath, 

Man to save from sin and death: 

Thousand, thousand thanks shall be, 

Blessed Jesus, unto Thee. 

Then for all that wrought our pardon, 
For Thy sorrows deep and sore, 

For Thine anguish in the garden, 
I will thank Thee evermore; 

Thank Thee with the latest breath 

For Thy sad and cruel death; 

For that last most hitter cry, 

Praise Thee evermore on high. 

— E. C. HOMBURG. 



For the Father himself loveth you, because 
ye have loved me, and have believed that I came 
out from God. — John xvi. 27. 

Only, I.oid, in Thy dear love 
Fit us for perfect rest abo\ e; 

And help us, this and every day, 
To live more nearly as we pray. 

John Keble. 



64 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

But God commendeth his love toward us, in 
that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for 
us. — Romans v. 8. 

Dear Lord, the crucifier would 

Be crucified by Thee; 
Turn Thou Thy love to instruments 

Of torture sweet to me! 
Thrice welcome, cross, and nail, and spear! 

Oh, joy of agony! 
I pardon him that slayeth me, 

Pierced by his love, I die! 

— Denis Wortman. 



And we know that all things work together 
for good to them that love God, to them who 
are the called according to his purpose. — 
Romans viii. 28. 

Sometimes, when all life's lessons have been learned, 

And sun and stars forevermore have set, 
The things which our weak judgments here have 
spurned — 

The things o'er which we grieved with lashes wet — 
Will flash before us, out of life's dark night, 

As stars shine most in deeper tints of blue; 
And we shall see how all God's plans were right, 

And how what seemed reproof was love most true. 

— May Riley Smith. 



WORDS OK COMFORT. G5 

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor 
that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 

Be kindly affectioned one to another with 
brotherly love; in honour preferring one another. 
—Romans xii. 0, 10. 

Love seeketh not itself to please, 

Nor for itself hath any care, 
But for another gives its ease, 

And builds a heaven in hell's despair. 

— William Blake. 



Who is he that condemneth ? It is Christ 
that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is 
even at the right hand of God, who also maketh 
intercession for us. 

Who shall separate us from the love of 
Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecu- 
tion, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

As it is written, For thy sake we are killed 
all the day long ; we are accounted as sheep For 
i he slaughter. 

Nay, in all these things we are more than 
conquerors through him that loved us. 

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor 

lite, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, 

nor things present, nor tilings to come, 



66 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, 
shall be able to separate us from the love of God, 
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. — Romans 
viii. 34-39. 

How loud soe'er the world may roar, 
We know Love will be conquerer. 

— Anonymous. 



Let brotherly love continue. 

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers : for 
thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 

Remember them that are in bonds, as bound 
with them ; and them which suffer adversity, as 
being yourself also in the body. — Hebrews xiii. 
1-3. 

They sin who tell us love can die; 

With life all other passions fly, 

All others are but vanity. 

In heaven ambition cannot dwell, 

Nor avarice in the vaults of hell; 

Earthly these passions, as of earth, 

They perish where they have their birth. 

But love is indestructible; 
Its holy flame forever burneth, 
From heaven it came, to heaven returneth. 

— Robert Southev. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 07 

Owe no man anything, but to love one 
another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled 
the law. — Romans xiii. 8. 

A nameless man, amid a crowd that thronged the daily 

mart, 
Let fall a word of Hope and Love, unstudied, from the 

heart; 
A whisper on the tumult thrown— a transitory breath- 
It raised a brother from the dust — it saved a soul from 

death. 
germ! O fount! O word of love! O thought at random 

cast! 
Ye were but little at the first, but mighty at the last. 

—Charles Mackay. 



But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor 
ear beard, neither have entered into the heart of 
man, the things which God hath prepared for 
them that love him. 

But God hath revealed them unto us by his 
Spirit : for the Spirit searchest all things, yea, the 
deep things of God. — T. Corinthians ii. 0, 10. 

" Eye hath not seen, and ear hath never heard, 
Nor heart conceived the things by God prepared 
For those who love Him." — O such love impart, 
Repentant, fervent, and adoring, 
From every taint of sin restoring, 
My Father and my God! to this poor heart] 

Joanna BAILLIE. 



68 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

And if any man think that he knoweth any- 
thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to 
know. 

But if any man love God, the same is known 
of him. — I. Corinthians viii. 2, 3. 

For hate is death, and love is life, 
A peace, a splendor from above, 
And hate a never-ending strife, 
A smoke, a blackness from the abyss 
Where unclean serpents coil and hiss. 
Love is the Holy Ghost within; 
Hate the unpardonable sin! 
Who preaches otherwise than this, 
Betrays his Master with a kiss. 

— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 



And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved 
us, and hath given himself for us an offering and 
a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. — 
Ephesians v. 2. 

There is no love like Thy love — 

Like Thy love, Lord, to me; 
O live in me that my love 

May rise and flow to Thee! 
With all Thy taking, take me 

Unto Thy inmost heart, 
And by Thy love-power make me 

What Thou, O Savior, art! 

—Wade Robinson. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 69 

That Christ may dwell in your hearts hy 
faith ; that ye, being rooted and grounded in 
love. 

May he able to comprehend with all saints 
what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and 
height ; 

And to know the love of Christ, which 
passeth knowledge, that ye might be tilled with 
all the fulness of God. — Ephesians iii. 17-19. 

All hearts confess the saints elect 
Who, twain in faith, in love agree, 

And melt not in an acid sect 

The christian pearl of Charity. 

— John Greenleaf Whittier. 



But as touching brotherly love ye need not 
thai I write unto you: for ye yourselves are 
taught of God to love one another. — I. Thessa- 
lonians iv. 9. 

There are some sweet affections 

Thai wealth cannot buy, 
That cling but still closer 

When sorrow draws nigh, 
And remain with us yet, 

Though all else pass away; 
Thus let's love one another 

As long as we stay. 

Charles Swain. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 



And this I pray, that your love may ahound 
yet more and more in knowledge and in all judg- 
ment; 

That ye may approve things that are excel- 
lent ; that ye may be sincere and without offence 
till the day of Christ.— Philippians i. 9, 10. 

Came Melancholy to my side one day, 

And said, " I must a little bide with thee;" 
And brought along with her, in company, 

Sorrow and Wrath. Quoth I to her, " Away! 

I will have none of you; make no delay." 
And, like a Greek, she gave me stout reply, 
Then, as she talk'd, I look'd and did espy 

Where Love was coming onward on the way. 

—Dante. 



But let us, who are of the day, be sober, 
putting on the breastplate of faith and love; 
and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. — I. Thes- 
salonians v. 8. 

In peace, Love tunes the Shepherd's reed; 

In war he mounts the warrior's steed; 

In halls, in gay attire is seen; 

In hamlets, dances on the green. 

Love rules the court, the camp, the grove, 

And men below, and saints above; 

For love is heaven, and heaven is love. 

— Sir Walter Scott 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 71 

That their hearts might be comforted, being 
knit together in love, and unto all riches of the 
full assurance of understanding, to the acknowl- 
edgment of the mystery of God, and of the 
Father, and of Christ ; 

In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom 
and knowledge. — Colossians ii. 2, 3. 

He went in the strength of dependence 

To tread where his Master trod, 
To gather and knit together 

The family of God. 
With a conscience freed from burdens, 

And a heart set free from care, 
To minister to eyery one 

Always and everywhere. 

— SCHONBERG COTTA FAMILY. 



For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; 
but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 
— 1 1. Timothy i. 7. 

Love's no irregular device, 

No sudden start of raging pain, 
Which in a moment grows a fire, 

And in a moment cools again. 
No; love is something so divine, 

1 description would hut make it less: 
"1'is what I feel, hut can't define; 

"1'is what 1 know, hut can't express. 

John Dryden. 



72 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation : 
for when he is tried, lie shall receive the crown 
of life, which the Lord hath promised to them 
that love him. — James i. 12. 

Heart, heart, awake! The love that loveth all 
Maketh a deeper calm than Horeb's cave. 

God in thee, can His children's folly gall ? 

Love may be hurt, but shall not love be brave ? 

Thy holy silence sinks in dews of balm; 

Thou art my solitude, my mountain calm. 

—George Macdonald. 



Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying 
the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love 
of the brethren, see that ye love one another 
with a pure heart fervently. — I. Peter i. 22. 

Love is the happy privilege of the mind- 
Love is the reason of all living things. 
A trinity there seems of principles, 
Which represent and rule created life— 
The love of self, our fellows and our God. 
In all throughout one common feeling reigns: 
Each doth maintain, and is maintained by the other: 
All are compatible— all needful; one 
To life, — to virtue one, — and one to bliss: 
Which thus together make the power, the end, 
And the perfection of created being. 

—Philip James Bailey, 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 73 

My little children, let us not love in word, 
neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. — 
I. John iii. 18. 

Yes, love indeed is lii^ht from heaven; 

A spark of that immortal fire 
With angels shared, by Allah given, 

To lift from earth our low desire. 
I levotion wafts the mind above, 
But heaven itself descends in love; 
A feeling from the God-head caught, 
To wean from self each sordid thought; 
A ray of Him who formed the whole; 
A glory circling round the soul! 

— Lord Byron. 



Beloved, let us love one another: for love is 
of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, 
and knoweth God. 

He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for 
God is love. — I. John iv. 7, 8. 

God is love: His mercy brightens 
All the path in which we rove: 

Bliss He wakes, and woe he lightens; 
God is wisdom, ( rod is love. 

I [e with earthly cares eiilwineth 
I [ope and comfort from above; 

Everywhere I lis glory shineth; 
God is wisdom, < rod is love. 

Sir John Bowring. 



74 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

There is no fear in love ; but perfect love 
casteth out fear : because fear hath torment. 
He that feareth is not made perfect in love. — 
I. John iv. 18. 

O love that casts out fear, 

O love that casts out sin, 
Tarry no more without, 

But come and dwell within! 

True sunlight of the soul, 

Surround us as we go; 
So shall our way be safe, 

Our feet no straying know. 

Great love of God come in! 

Well-spring of heavenly peace; 
Thou Living Water, come! 

Spring up, and never cease. 

Love of the living God, 

Of Father and of Son; 
Love of the Holy Ghost, 

Fill thou each needy one. 

— H. BONAR. 



And ye have forgotten the exhortation which 
speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, 
despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor 
faint when thou art rebuked of him : 

For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, 
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 75 

It ye endure chastening, God dealeth with 
you as with sons ; for what son is he whom the 
father chasteneth not ? — Hebrews xii. 5-7. 

Lord for the erring thought 
Not unto evil wrought: 
Lord, for the wicked will 
Betrayed and baffled still: 
For the heart from itself kept, 
Our thanksgiving accept. 
For ignorant hopes that were 
Broken to our blind prayer: 
For pain, death, sorrow sent 
Unto our chastisement: 
For all loss of seeming good 
Quicken our gratitude. 

—William D. Howells. 



Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking 
for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto 
eternal life. — Jude i. 21. 

Metals grow within the mine, 
Luscious grapes upon the vine, 
Still the needle marks the pole, 
Parts are equal to the whole. 
Tis a truth as clear that love 
Quickens all below, above. 

Abraham G >wi.k\ . 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Blessed is the man who walketh not- in the 
counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way 
of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 

But his delight is in the law of the Lord; 
and in his law doth lie meditate day and night. 

And he shall be like a tree planted by the 
riversof water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his 
season ; his leaf also shall not wither; and what- 
soever lie docth shall prosper. — Psalm i. 1-3. 

Tin- man, in life wherever placed, 

Hath happiness in store, 
Who walks not in the wicked's way, 

Nor learns their guilty lore; 
Nor from the seat ol scornful pride 

( 'a sts i< nth Ins eyes abroad, 
Bui with humility and awe 

Still walks before his Cod. 
I hai man shall flourish like the trees 

Which by the streamlets grow; 
I he fruitful top is spread on high, 

And firm the rool below. 

Robert Burns. 



78 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy 
cometh in the morning. — Psalm xxx. 5. 

Oh, child of sorrow, whosoe'er thou art, 
Why weep an earthly evanescent ill? 

Why clasp a dead hope to thy aching heart; 

And though it chill thee, love and clasp it still ? 

What though one thorn, upon thy pathway thrown, 
Hath stayed thy careless step? Pause not to weep, 

A thousand waiting duties call thee on, 

And, in thy path, a thousand pleasures sleep. 

—Robert T. Conrad. 



Therefore I say unto you, take no thought 
for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall 
drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put 
on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body 
than raiment? 

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His 
righteousness; and all these things shall be added 
unto you. — Matthew vi. 25 and 83. 

In sweet accordancy of praise and love 

The singing waters run, 
And sunset mountains wear in light above 

The smile of duty done;,, 
Sure stands the promise — ever to the meek 

A heritage is given; 
Nor lose they earth who, single-hearted, seek 

The righteousness of heaven. 

—John Greenleaf Whittier. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 79 

The day is thine, the night also is thine : 
thou hast prepared the light and the sun. 

Thou hast set all the borders of the earth ; thou 
hast made summer and winter. — Psalm lxxiv. 
10, 17. 

Thou art, oh God, the life and light 
Of all this wondrous world we see; 

Its glow by day, its smile by night, 

Are but reflections caught from Thee. 

Where'er we turn, thy glories shine, 

And all things fair and bright are thine. 

When night, with wings of starry gloom, 

O'ershadows all the earth and skies, 
Like some dark, beauteous bird, whose plume 

Is sparkling with unnumber'd eyes— 
That sacred gloom, those fires divine, 
So grand, so countless, Lord! are thine. 

—Thomas Moore. 



And Jesus called a little child unto him, 
;md set him in the midst of them, 

And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye 
he converted, and become as little children, ye 
shall Hoi enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself 

as this little child, the same is greatest in t hi' 
k ingdom of heaven. 



80 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

And whoso shall receive one such little child 
in my name receiveth me. — Matthew xviii. 2-5. 

If thou shalt be in heart a child, 
Forgiving, tender, meek and mild, 
Though with light stains of earth defiled, 
O soul, it shall be wed. 

It shad be wed with thee indeed, 
Whate'er thy race, thy tongue, thy creed, 
Thou shalt not lose thy fitting meed; 
It shall be surely well. 

It shall be well with thee, oh soul, 
Though the heavens wither like a scroll, 
Though sun and moon forget to roll— 
O soul, it shall be well. 

— Lewis Morris. 



But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy 
closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray 
to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father 
which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 
— Matthew vi. 6. 

Oh, God of mountains, stars and boundless spaces! 

Oh, God of freedom and of joyous hearts! 
When thy face looketh forth from all men's faces, 

There will be room enough in crowded marts. 
Brood thou around me, and the noise is o'er; 
Thy universe my closet with shut door. 

— George Macuunald. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 81 

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? 
and the son of man, that thou visiteth him? 

For thou hast made him a little lower than 
the angels, and hast crowned him with glory 
and honour. — Psalm viii. 4. 5. 

Oh, what is man, Great Maker of mankind! 

That Thou to him, so great respect dost hear — 
That Thou adorn'st him with so hright a mind, 

Mak'st him a king, and even an angel's peer? 
But it exceeds man's thought, to think how high 

God hath raised man, since God a man became; 
The angels do admire this mystery, 

And are astonished when they view the same. 
Nor hath In- given these blessings for a day; 

Nor made them on the body's life depend: 
The soul, though made in time, survives for aye, 

And though it hath beginning, sees no end. 

Sir John Davies. 



Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, 
and persecute you, and shall say all manner of 
evil against you falsely, for my sake. — Matthew 
v. 1 1 . 

Thou who didst promise cheer along with tribulation, 
Hold up our trust ami keep it linn by much enduring; 

Feed fainting hearts with patient hopes of Thy salvation: 

Make glorious service, more than luxury's bed, alluring. 

Frederii Dan i h \ i lngton. 



82 WORDS OF COMFORT. 



For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your 
heavenly Father will also forgive you : 

But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, 
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 
— Matthew vi. 14, 15. 

My heart was heavy, for its trust had been 

Abused, its kindness answered with foul wrong; 

So, turning gloomily from my fellow-men, 
One summer Sabbath day I strolled among 

The green mounds of the village burial-place; 

Where, pondering where all human love and hate 
Find one sad level; and how, soon or late, 

Wronged and wrongdoer, each with meekened face, 
And cold hands folded over a still heart, 

Pass the green threshold of our common grave, 
Whither all footsteps tend, whence none depart, 

Awed for myself, and pitying my race, 

Our common sorrow, like a mighty wave, 

Swept all my pride away, and trembling, I forgave! 

—John Greenleaf Whittier. 



Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon 
earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and 
where thieves break through and steal : but lay 
up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where 
neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and wl 



ere 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 83 

thieves do not break through nor ste:«.l. — Mat- 
thew vi. 19, 20. 

O how happy are they 

Who the Savior obey, 
And have laid up their treasures above; 

Tongue can never express 

The sweet comfort and peace 
Of a soul in its earliest love. 

— C. Wesley. 



Lord, thou hast been our dwellingplace in 
all generations. 

Before the mountains were brought forth, or 
ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, 
even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art 
God. — Psalm xc. 1 , 2. 

() Thou, the first, the greatest Friend 

Of all the human race! 
Whose Strong right hand has ever been 

Their stay and dwelling-place! 
Before the mountains heaved their heads 

Beneath thy forming hand, 
Before this pond'rous globe itself 

Arose at thy command; 
Thai power which raised, and still upholds 

This universal frame, 

I rom countless, unbeginning time, 
Was ever siill the same. 

Roi'.i.ki Burns. 



84 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

And whosoever shall give to drink unto one 
of these little ones a cup of cold water only in 
the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, 
he shall in no wise lose his reward. — Matthew 
x. 42. 

The blessings which the weak and poor can scatter 

Have their own season. 'Tis a little thing 

To give a cup of water; yet its draught 

Of cool refreshment, drained by fevered lips, 

May give a thrill of pleasure to the frame 

More exquisite than when nectarean juice 

Renews the life of joy in happiest hours. 

It is a little thing to speak a phrase 

Of common comfort, which by daily use 

Has almost lost its sense; yet on the ear 

Of him who thought to die unrenowned, 'twill fall 

Like choicest music; fill the glazing eye 

With gentle tears; relax the knotted hand 

To know the bonds of fellowship again; 

And shed on the departing soul a sense, 

(More precious than the benison of friends 

About the honored death-bed of the rich), 

To him who else were lonely, that another 

Of the great family is near and feels. 

— Thomas Noon Talfourd. 



And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching 
in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel 
of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sick- 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 85 

ness and all manner of disease among the people. 
— Matthew iv. 23. 

So stood of old the holy Christ 

Amidst the suffering throng, 
With whom his lightest touch sufficed 

To make the weakest strong. 
That healing gift he lends to them 

Who use it in His name; 
The power that filled his garment's hem 

Is evermore the same. 
That Good Physician liveth yet 

Thy friend and guide to be; 
The Healer by Gennesaret 

Shall walk the rounds with thee. 

John Greenleaf Whittier. 



For what is a man profited, if he shall gain 
the whole world, and lose his own soul? or 
what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 
— Matthew xvi. 26. 

What win I if I gain the thing I seek? 

A dream, a breath, a froth of fleeting joy. 

Who buys a minute's mirth to wail a week? 

Or sells eternity to get a toy? 

For one >wirt grape who will the wine destroy 

< >r what fond beggar, but to touch the crown, 

Would with the si eptre strait be stricken down? 

SlIAKKSI'KAK I . 



86 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

Judge not, that ye be not judged. 

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be 
judged : and with what measure ye meet, it shall 
be measured to you again. — Matthew vii. 1,2. 

Perchance the friend who cheered thy early years 

Has yielded to the tempter's power: 
Yet why shrink back and draw away thy skirt, 
As though her very touch would do thee hurt ? 

Wilt thou prove stronger in temptation's hour ? 
Perchance the one thou trusted more than life 

Has broken love's most sacred vow: 
Yet judge him not — the victor in life's strife 
Is he who beareth best the burden of life, 

And leaveth God to judge, nor questions how. 
Sing the great song of love to all, and not 

The wailing anthem of thy woes; 
So live thy life that thou may'st never feel 
Afraid to say, as at his throne you kneel, 
" Forgive me, God, as I forgive my foes." 

—Anonymous. 



Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of 
sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men : 
but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall 
not be forgiven unto men. 

And whosoever speaketh a word against the 
Son of man, it shall be forgiven him : but who- 
soever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 87 

not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither 
in the world to come. — Matthew xii. 31, 32. 

Voice of the Holy Spirit, making known 
Man to himself, a witness swift and sure, 
Warning, approving, true and wise and pure, 

Counsel and guidance that misleadeth none! 

By thee the mystery of life is read; 

The picture-writing of the world's gray seers, 
The myths and parables of the primal years, 

Whose letter kills, by thee interpreted 

Take healthful meanings fitted to our needs, 
And in the soul's vernacular express 
The common law of simple righteousness. 

Hatred of cant and doubt of human creeds 

May well he felt: the unpardonable sin 

Is to deny the Word of God within! 

John G r ee n i , ea f W hit-tier; 



Bui Jesus said, Suffer little children, and for- 
bid them not, to come unto me; for of such is 
the kingdom of heaven. — Matthew xix. Id. 

We need love's tender lessons taught 
As only weakness can: 

< '.oil hath his small interpreters; 

The child musl tea< h the man. 

< )f such the kingdom! Teach thou us, 

( ) Master most divine, 

To feel the deep significance 

( )| these wise Words of tliiile! 

John Greenleaf Whittier. 



88 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

After these things Jesus shewed himself again 
to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias ; and on 
this wise shewed he himself. 

There were together Simon Peter, and 
Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of 
Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and 
two other of his disciples. 

Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. 
They say unto him, We also go with thee. They 
went forth, and entered into a ship immediately ; 
and that night they caught nothing. 

But when the morning was now come, Jesus 
stood on the shore ; but the disciples knew not 
that it was Jesus. 

Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have 
ve any meat ? They answered him, No. 

And he said unto them, Cast the net on the 
right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They 
cast therefore, and now they were not able to 
draw it for the multitude of fishes. 

Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved 
saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when 
Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt 
his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) 
and did cast himself into the sea. 

And the other disciples came in a little ship, 
(for they were not far from land, but as it were 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 89 

two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with 
fishes. 

As soon then as they were come to land, they 
saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, 
and bread. 

Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which 
ye have now caught. 

Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to 
land full of great fishes, a hundred and fifty and 
three : and for all there were so many, yet was 
not the net broken. 

Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And 
none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art 
thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 

Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and 
giveth them, and fish likewise. 

This is now the third time that Jesus shewed 
himself to his disciples, after that he was risen 
from the dead. 

So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon 
Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more 
than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; 
thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto 
him. Feed my lambs. 

IK- saith to him again the second time, Simon, 
sou of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto 
him. Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee, 
lb- saith unto him. Feed my sheep. 



90 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son 
of Jonas, lovest thou me ? Peter was grieved 
because he said unto him the third time, Lovest 
thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou 
knowest all things ; thou knowest that I love 
thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. — 
John xxi. 1-17. 

There were seven fishers with nets in their hands, 
And they walked and talked by the seaside sands: 

Yet sweet as the sweet dew-fall 
The words they spake, though they spake so low, 
Across the long, dim centuries flow, 

And we know them, one and all, — 

Ay! know them and love them all. 

Seven sad men in the days of old, 
And one was gentle, and one was bold, 

And they walked with downcast eyes; 
The bold was Peter, the gentle was John, 
And they all were sad, for the Lord was gone, 

And they knew not if he would rise, — 

Knew not if the dead would rise. 

The livelong night, till the moon went out, 
In the drowning waters they beat about: 

Beat slow through the fogs their way, 
And the sails dropped down with ringing wet, 
. And no man drew but an empty net; 

And now 'twas the break of the day,— 

The great glad break of the day. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 91 



'Cast your nets on the other side" — 
(Twas Jesus speaking across the tide) 

And they cast and were dragging hard; 
But that disciple whom Jesus loved 
Cried straightway out, for his heart was moved: 
" It is our risen Lord, — 
Our Master, and our Lord!" 

Then Simon, girding his fisher's coat, 
Went over the nets out of the boat, — 

Ay! first of them all was he; 
Repenting sore the dismal past, 
Me feared no longer his heart to cast 

Like an anchor into the sea, — 

Down deep in the hungry sea. 

And the others through the mists so dim, 
In a little ship came after him, 

Dragging their nets through the tide; 
And when they had gotten close to the land, 
They saw a tire of coals in the sand, 

Ami, with arms of love so wide, 

fesus, the crucified! 

Tis long, and long, and long a,L, r o, 

Since the rosy lights began to flow 

O'er the hills i E Galilee; 
And with eager eyes and lifted hands 
The seven fishers saw on the sands 

The fire of coals by the sea, 

( >n the wet, wild sands by the sea. 



92 WORDS OF COMFORT. 



Tis long ago, yet faith in our souls 
Is kindled just by that fire of coals 

That streamed o'er the mists of the sea; 
Where Peter, girding his fisher's coat, 
Went over the net and out of the boat, 

To answer, "Lovest thou me ?"' 

Thrice over, " Lovest thou me ?" 

— Alice Gary. 



And a certain woman, which had an issue of 
blood twelve years, 

And had suffered many things of many physi- 
cians, and had spent all that she had, and was 
nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 

When she had heard of Jesus, came in the 
press behind, and touched his garment. 

For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, 
I shall be whole. 

And straightway the fountain of her blood 
was dried up ; and she felt in her body that she 
was healed of that plague. 

And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself 
that virtue had gone out of him, turned him 
about in the press, and said, Who touched my 
clothes ? 

And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest 
the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, 
Who touched me ? 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 93 

And he looked round about to see her that 
had done this thing. 

But the woman fearing and trembling, 
knowing what was done in her, came and fell 
down before him, and told him all the truth. 

And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith 
bath made thee whole ; go in peace, and be whole 
of thy plague.— Mark v. 25-84. 

Woman's faith and woman's trust — 
Write the characters in dust; 
Stamp them <>n the. running stream, 
Print them on the moon's pale beam, 
And each evanescent letter 
Shall be clearer, firmer, better, 
And more permanent, I ween, 
Than the thing those letters mean. 

— Sir Walter Scott. 



And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and 
beheld how the people cast money into the treas- 
ury : and many that were rich cast in much. 

And there came a certain poor widow, and 
she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 

And he called unto him his disciples, and 
Baith unto them, Verily I say unlo you, That 
this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they 
which have cast into the treasury: 



01 



WOH PS OF COMFOR' 



For all they did cast in of their abundance ; 
but she of her want did cast in all that she had, 
even all her living. — Mark xii. 41-44. 

Two mites, two drops, yet all her house and land, 
Fall from a steady heart, though trembling hand: 
The other's wanton wealth foams high and brave; 
The other cast away, she only gave. 

— Richarp Crashaw. 



And one of the Pharisees desired him that he 
would eat with him. And he went into the 
Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. 

And, behold, a woman in the city, which was 
a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat 
in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box 
of ointment, 

And stood at his feet behind him weeping, 
and began to wash his feet with tears, and did 
wipe them with the hairs of her head, and 
kissed his feet, and anointed them with the oint- 
ment. 

Now when the Pharisee which had bidden 
him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, 
This man, if he were a prophet, would have 
known who and what manner of woman this is 
that toucheth him ; for she is a sinner. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 05 

And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I 
have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, 
Master, say on. 

There was a certain creditor which had two 
debtor.- : the one owed five hundred pence, and 
the other fifty. 

And when they had nothing to pay, he 
frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, 
which of them will love him most ? 

Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, 
to whom he forgave most. And he said unto 
him, Thou hast rightly judged. 

And lie turned to the woman, and said unto 
Simon, Seest thou this woman ? I entered into 
thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet : 
but she hath washed my feet with tears, and 
wiped them with the hairs of her head. 

Thou gavest mc no kiss: but this woman, 
since the time I came in. hath not ceased to kiss 
my feet. 

My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but 
tin'- woman hath anointed my feet with oint- 
ment . 

Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which 
are many, are forgiven; for she loved much : but 
io whom little is forgiven, t he same loveth little. 

And he said unto her. Thy sins are forgiven. 



06 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

And they that sat at meat with him began to 
say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth 
sins also ? 

And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath 
saved thee; go in peace. — Luke vii. 3G-50. 

Were not the sinful Mary's tears 

An offering worthy heaven, 
When, o'er the faults of former years, 

She wept — and was forgiven ? 
When, bringing every balmy sweet 

Her day of luxury stored, 
She o'er her Savior's hallowed feet 

The precious odors poured ; 
And wiped them with that golden hair 

Where once the diamond shone; 
Though now those gems of grief were there 

Which shine for God alone! 
Were not these sweets, so humbly shed — 

That hair— those weeping eyes — 
And the sunk heart, that inly bled— 

Heaven's noblest sacrifice ? 
Thou, that hast slept in error's sleep, 

Oh, would'st thou wake in heaven, 
Like Mary kneel, like Mary weep, 
" Love much " and be forgiven! 

—Thomas Moore. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 97 

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would 
that men should do to you, do ye even so to 
them : for this is the law and the prophets. — 
Matthew vii. 12. 

I ask not for myself a right 

Which I to others would deny; 
With all mankind I'd share the light, 
Xor would I rule by force of might, 

But on the Golden Rule rely. 
All men have their paternity 

In common with their fellow men; 
Equality, fraternity, 

Should rule the heart and guide the pen. 

— Matthew H. Peters. 



Two men went up into the temple to pray; 
the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with 
himself: God, I thank thee, that I am not as 
other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or 
even as this publican. 

I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all 
that I possess. 

And the publican, standing afar off, would not 
lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote 
upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me 
a sinner. 



y» WORDS OF COMFORT. 

I tell you, this man went down to his house 
justified rather than the other : for every one that 
exalteth himself shall be abased : and he that 
humbleth himself shall be exalted. — Luke xviii. 
10-14. 

Two went to pray ? O rather say, 
One went to brag, the other to pray. 
One stands up close and treads on high, 
Where the other dares not lend his eye, 
One nearer to God's altar trod, 
The other to the altar's God. 

— Richard Crashaw. 



It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up 
late, to eat the bread of sorrows : for so he giveth 
his beloved sleep. — Psalm cxxvii. 2. 

Of all the thoughts of God that are 
Borne inward into souls afar, 
Along the Psalmist's music deep, 
Now tell me if that any is 
For gift or grace surpassing this: 
"He giveth His beloved sleep?" 

And friends, dear friends, when it shall be 
That this low breath has gone from me, 
And round my bier ye come to weep, 
Let one most loving of you all, 
Say, " Not a tear must o'er her fall, — 
He giveth His beloved sleep." 

—Elizabeth Barrett Browning. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 99 

Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, 
how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I 
forgive him? till seven times? 

Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, 
Until seven times : but, Until seventy times 
seven. — Matthew xviii. 21, 22. 

When streams of unkindness, as bitter as gall, 

Bubble up from the heart to the tongue, 
And Meekness is writhing in torment and thrall, 

By the hands of Ingratitude wrung, — 
In the heat of injustice, unwept and unfair, 

While the anguish is festering yet, 
None, none but an angel, or God, can declare, 
" I now can forgive and forget." 

Oh, hearken! my tongue shall the riddle unseal, 

And mind shall be partner with heart, 
While thee to thyself I bid conscience reveal, 

And show thee how evil thou art: 
Remember thy follies, thy sins, and— thy crimes, 

I [ow vast is that infinite debt! 
Yet Mercy hath seven by seventy times 

Been swift to forgive and forget! 

— Martin Farquhar Tupper. 



And the angel said unto them, Fear not : for, 
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, 
which shall be to all people. 

For unto you is born this day in the city of 
David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 



100 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

And this shall be a sign unto you : Ye shall 
find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 
lying in a manger. — Luke ii. 10-12. 

Hail! thou month of all the year 
Bringing men such goodly cheer; 
"Peace on earth, good will from heaven;" 
Blessed news to mortals given. 
In thine icy grasp we find 
Birth of love to all mankind; 
Field and shepherd, stall and manger, 
Star and midnight, greet the stranger; 
Thanks and praise let all hearts render 
For the Christ, born in 1 >ecember. 

-W, T. GlFFE. 



Search the Scriptures ; for in them ye think 
ye have eternal life : and they are they which 
testify of me. — John v. 39. 

Thou truest friend man ever knew, 

Thy constancy I've tried; 
When all were false, I found thee true, 

My counsellor and guide. 
The mines of earth no treasures give 

That could this volume buy; 
In teaching me the way to live, 

It taught me how to die. 

— George Perkins Morris. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. . 101 

Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 

And early in the morning he came again into 
the temple, and all the people came unto him; 
and he sat down, and taught them. 

And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto 
him a woman taken in adultery ; and when they 
.had set her in the midst, „ 

They say unto him, Master, this woman was 
taken in adultery, in the very act. 

Now Moses in the law commanded us, that 
such should be stoned : but what sayest thou? 

This they said, tempting him, that they 
might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped 
down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, 
as though he heard them not. 

So when they continued asking him, he lifted 
up himself, and said unto them, He that is 
without sin among you, let him first cast a 
Stone at her. 

And again he stooped down, and wrote 
on the ground. 

And they which heard it, being convicted by 
their own conscience, went out one by one, 
beginning ;it the eldest, even unto the last: and 
Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing 
in the midst . 

When Jcsiis had lifted up himself, and saw 



102 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, 
where are those thine accusers? hath no man 
condemned thee? 

She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said 
unto her, Neither do I condemn thee : go, and 
sin no more. — John viii. 1-11. 



O, dwarfed, and wronged, and stained with ill. 

Behold! thou art a woman still! 

And by that sacred name and dear, 

I bid thy better self appear. 

Still, through thy foul disguise, I see 

The rudimental purity, 

That, spite of change and loss, makes good 

Thy birthright claim of womanhood; 

An inward loathing, deep, intense, 

A shame that is half innocence. 

Cast off the grave-clothes of thy sin! 

Rise from the dust thou liest in, 

As Mary rose at Jesus' word, 

Redeemed and white before the Lord! 

Reclaim thy lost soul! In his name, 

Rise up and break thy bonds of shame. 

Art weak? Hen strong. Art fearful? Hear 

The world's O'ercomer: " Be of cheer!" 

What lip shall judge when He approves? 

Who <lare to scorn the child He loves? 

— John Greenleaf Whittier. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 103 

For in him we live, and move, and have our 
being; as certain also of your own poets have 
said, For we are also his offspring. — Acts' xvii. 

28. 

And what am I, then? Heaven's unnumbered host, 

Though multiplied by myriads, and arrayed 

In all the glory of sublimest thought, 

Is but an atom in the balance, weighed 

Against Thy greatness — is a cipher brought 

Against infinity! What am I, then? Naught! 

Naught! But the effulgence of Thy light divine, 

Pervading worlds, hath reached my bosom, too; 

Yes! in my spirit doth Thy spirit shine, 

As shines the sunbeam in a drop of dew. 

Naught! But I live, and on hope's pinions fly 

Eager toward Thy presence — for in Thee 

I live, and breathe, and dwell, aspiring high, 

Even to the throne of Thy divinity. 

I am, O God! and surely Thou must be. 

— Gabriel Romanowitch Derzhavin. 

(Russian.) 



I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the 
mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a 
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which 
is your reasonable service. 

And be not conformed to this world : but be 
ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, 



104 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

that ye may prove what is that good, and ac- 
ceptable, and perfect will of God. — Romans xii. 
1. 2. 

Fear not! spurn the worldling's laughter! 

Thine ambition — trample thou! 
Thou shalt find a long hereafter, 

To be more than tempts thee now. 

On! let all the soul within you 

For the truth's sake go abroad! 
Strike! let every nerve and sinew 

Tell on ages— tell for God! 

—Arthur Cleveland Cox. 



Pure religion and undefiled before God and 
the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and 
widows in their affliction, and to keep himself 
unspotted from the world. — James i. 21. 

O, brother man! fold to thy heart thy brother; 

Where pity dwells, the peace of God is there; 
To worship rightly is to love each other, 

Each smile a hymn, each kindly deed a prayer. 
For he whom Jesus loved hath truly spoken : 

The holier worship which he deigns to bless, 
Restores the lost, and binds the spirit broken, 

And feeds the widow and the fatherless! 

-John Greenleaf Whittier. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 105 

And they drew nigh unto the village, whither 
they went: and he made as though he would 
have gone further. 

But they constrained him, saying, Abide 
with us; for it is toward evening, and the day 
is far spent. And lie went in to tarry with 
them. — Luke xxiv. 28, 29. 

Abide with me: fast falls the eventide; 

The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide. 

When other helpers fail, and comforts flee, 

Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me! 

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day; 

Earth's joys grow dim, its glories fade away. 

Change and decay in all around I see; 

O Thou who changest not, abide with me! 

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes; 

Shine- through the gloom, and point me to the skies; 

Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee; 

In life, in death, Lord, abide with me! 

— Henry Francis Lyte. 



Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ 
Jesus shall sutler persecution. 

Bui evil men ami seducers shall wax worse 
ami worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 

Hut continue thou in the things which thou 
ha6t learned and hast been assured of, knowing 
of whom thou hasl learned t hem . 



106 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

And that from a child thou hast known the 
holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee 
wise unto salvation through faith which is in 
Christ Jesus. — II. Timothy iii. 12-15. 

O, when I am safe in my sylvan home, 
I mock at the pride of Greece and Rome; 
And when I am stretched beneath the pines, 
Where the evening star so holy shines, 
I laugh at the lore and pride of man, 
At the sophist schools, and the learned clan; 
For what are they all in their high conceit, 
When man in the bush with God may meet ? 

— Ralph Waldo Emerson. 



For we have not a high priest which cannot be 
touched with the feeling of our infirmities ; but 
was in all points tempted like as we are, yet 
without sin. — Hebrews iv. 15. 

Thou, O Elder Brother! who 

In Thy flesh our trial knew, 

Thou, who hast been touched by these. 

Our most sad infirmities, 

Thou alone the gulf canst span 

In the dual heart of man, 

And, between the soul and sense, 

Reconcile all difference 

-John Greenleaf Whittier. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 107 

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and 
become the firstfruits of them that slept. 

For since by man came death, by man came 
also the resurrection of the dead. 

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall 
all be made alive. — I. Corinthians xv. 20-22. 

There is no death! The stars go down 
To rise upon some fairer shore; 

And bright in heaven's jeweled crown 
They shine forevermore. 

There is no death! The leaves may fall, 
And flowers may fade and pass away; 

They only wait through wintry hours 
The coming of the May. 

And ever near us, though unseen, 
The dear immortal spirits tread; 

For all the boundless universe 
Is life — there are no dead. 

— Loud Lytton. 



Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, 
but not to doubtful disputations. 

For one believeth that he may eat all things : 
another, who is weak, eateth herbs. 

Let not him that eateth despise him that 
eateth not ; and let not him which eateth not 
judge him that eateth : for God hath received 
him. 



108 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

Who art thou that judgest another man's ser- 
vant? to his own master he standeth or falleth ; 
yea, he shall be holden up : for God is able to 
make him stand. 

One man esteemeth one day above another: 
another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man 
be fully persuaded in his own mind. — Romans 
xiv. 1-5. 

Deal meekly, gently, with the hopes that guide 
The lowliest brother straying from thy side; 
If right, they bid thee tremble for thine own, 
If wrong, the verdict is for God alone. 
Strive with the wanderer from the better path, 
Bearing thy message meekly, not in wrath; 
Weep for the frail that err, the weak that fall, 
Have thine own faith, but hope and pray for all. 

—Oliver Wfndell Holmes. 



For as we have many members in one body, 
and all members have not the same office : 

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, 
and every one members one of another. — Ro- 
mans xii. 4, 5. 

Sorrow and wrong are pangs of a new birth; 
All we who suffer bleed for one another; 
No life may live alone, but all in all; 
We lie within the tomb of our dead selves, 
Waiting till One command us to arise. 

— Hon. Rouen Noel. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 109 

So when ♦this corruptible shall have put on 
incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on 
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the 
saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in 
victory. 

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where 
is thy victory? — I. Corinthians xv. 54, 55. 

Vital spark of heavenly flame! 
Quit, oh, quit this mortal frame! 
Trembling, hoping, lingering, flying, 

( )h the pain, the bliss of dying! 
Cease fond nature, cease thy strife, 
And let me languish into life! 

Hark! they whisper; angels say, 
Sister spirit, come away! 
What is this absorbs me quite ? 
Steals my senses, shuls my sight, 
Drowns my spirits, draws my breath ? 
Tell me, my soul, can this be death ? 

The world recedes; it disappears! 
I leaven i tpens on my eyes! my ears 

With sounds seraphic ring: 
I. end, lend your wings! I mount! 1 fly! 
( ) ( irave! when- is thy victory ? 

< ) 1 )e,itli! where is thy sting ? 

Alexander Pope. 



110 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

Be not deceived ; God is not mocked : for 
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the 
flesh reap corruption ; but he that soweth to the 
Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 

And let us not be weary in well doing : for 
in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do 
good unto all men, especially unto them who are 
of the household of faith. — Galatians vi. 7-10. 

We shape ourselves the joy or fear 
Of which the coming life is made, 

And fill our Future's atmosphere 
With sunshine or with shade. 

The tissue of the Life to be 

We weave with colors all our own, 

And in the field of Destiny 
We reap as we have sown. 

Think ye the notes of holy song 

On Milton's tuneful ear have died ? 

Think ye that Raphael's angel throng 
Has vanished from his side ? 

O no! — We live our life again: 

Or warmly touched, or coldly dim, 

The pictures of the Past remain, — 
Man's works shall follow him! 

— John Greenleaf Whittier. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. Ill 

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about 
with truth, and having on the breastplate of 
righteousness; 

And your feet shod with the preparation of 
the gospel of peace ; 

Above all, taking the shield of faith, where- 
with ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts 
of the wicked. 

And take the helmet of salvation, and the 
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 
— Ephesians vi. 14-17. 

What stronger breastplate than a heart untainted ? 
Thrice is he arm'd that hath his quarrel just; 
And he hut naked though lock'd up in steel 
Whose conscience with injustice is corrupted. 

— Shakespeare. 



Every good gift and every perfect gift is from 
above, and cometh down from the Father of 
lights, with whom is no variableness, neither 
shadow of turning. — James i. 17. 

W'li.ii service ean we render Thee, kind Heaven! 
Bui freely take what is so freely given ? 
The best of gifts is wit to keep the cup, 
Wherein Thou pourest blessings, right-side up. 
Dwell Thou within ns, Lord of Charity! 
And we, from Thee, shall endless givers be. 

—Charles G. Amis. 



112 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the 
fiery trial which is to try you, as though some 
strange thing happened unto you : 

But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of 
Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be 
revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding 
joy.— I. Peter iv. 12, 13. 

Glory to God — to God — he saith, 
Knowledge by suffering entereth, 
And life is perfected by death. 

— Elizabeth Barrett Browning. 



For there are three that bear record in heaven, 
the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost : and 
these three are one. — I. John v. 7- " 

At morn I prayed, " I fain would see 

How Three are One, and One is Three; 

Read the dark riddle unto me." 

Then something whispered, " Dost thou pray 

For what thou hast ? This very day 

The Holy Three have crossed thy way. 

The equal Father in rain and sun, 

His Christ in the good to evil done, 

His voice in thy soul;— and the Three are One!" 

—John Greenleaf Whittier. 



WORDS OK COMFORT. 113 

Love not the world, neither the things that 
are in the world. If any man love the world, 
the love of the Father is not in him. — I. John 
ii. 15. 

This world is all a fleeting show, 
For man's illusion given; 
The smiles of joy, the tears of woe, 
Deceitful shine, deceitful flow, — 
There's nothing true but heaven! 

— Thomas Moore. 



And the angel which I saw stand upon the 
sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to 
heaven, 

And sware by him that liyeth forever and 
ever, who created heaven, and the things that 
therein are, and the earth, and the things that 
therein are, and the sea, and the things which 
arc therein, that there should be time no longer. 

Hut in the days of the voice of the seventh 
angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery 
of God should be finished, as he hath declared to 
his servants t he prophets. — Revelation x. 5—7. 

Wherefore he saitH, Awake thou that sleep- 
est, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall 
give thee light. — Ephesians v. 14. 



114 WORDS OF COMFORT. 



And then shall appear the sign of the Son of 
man in heaven : and then shall all the tribes of 
the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of 
man coming in the clouds of heaven with power 
and great glory. 

And he shall send his angels with a great 
sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather to- 
gether his elect from the four winds, from one 
end of heaven to the other. 

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my 
words shall not pass away. 

Then shall the King say unto them on his 
right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, in- 
herit the kingdom prepared for you from the 
foundation of the world. 

Then shall he say also unto them on the left 
hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlast- 
ing fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. 
—Matthew xxiv. 30. 31 and 35; xxv. 34 and 41. 

Lord, who shall bear that day, so dread, so splendid, 
When we shall see thy Angel, hov'ring o'er 

This sinful world, with hand to heaven extended, 
And hear him swear by thee that Time's no more? 

When earth shall feel thy fast consuming ray — 

Who, mighty God, oh who shall bear that day? 



WOR-DS OF COMFORT. 



115 



When through the world thy awful call hath sounded? 

" Wake, all ye dead, to judgment wake, ye dead!" 
And from the clouds by seraph eyes surrounded, 

The Savior shall put forth his radiant head; 
While earth and heaven before him pass away — 
Who, mighty God, oh who shall bear that day? 

When with a glance, the Eternal Judge shall sever 
Earth's evil spirits from the pure and bright, 

And say to those, " Depart from me forever!" 

To these, "Come, dwell with me in endless light!" 

When each and all in silence take their way — 

Who, mighty God, oh who shall bear that day? 

—Thomas Moore. 




ESSENCES. 



And poets, garland-bound, the Lords of Thought, draw near. 

— Whittier. 

HOPE. 



Primeval Hope, the Aonian IV I uses say, 

When Man and Nature mourned their first decay, 

When every form of death and every woe 

Shot from malignant stars to Earth below, 

When .Murder bared her arm, and rampant War 

Yoked the red dragons of her iron car; 

When Peace and Mercy, banished from the plain, 

Sprung on the viewless winds to Heaven again; 

All, all forsook the friendless guilty mind; 

But Hope, the charmer, lingered still behind, 

—Thomas Campbell. 



TRUTH'S ARMOR. 



He is the freeman whom the truth makes free, 
And .ill are slaves beside. There's not a chain 
Thai hellish lues, confederate for his harm, 
Can wind around him, but he casts it off 
With .is much ease as Sampson his green withes. 

—William Cowper. 



H8 WORDS OF COMFORT. 



AN EVENING HYMN. 



Maker of all, we thee entreat, 
Before the joyful light descend, 
That thou, with wonted mercy great, 
Us as our keeper would'st defend. 

Let idle dreams be far away, 

And vain illusions of the night; 

Repress our foe, lest that he may 

Our bodies to foul lust incite. 

Let this, O Father, granted be, 

Through our dear Savior's boundless merit, 

Who doth forever live with Thee, 

Together with the Holy Spirit. 

—William Drummond. 



NEVER THWARTED. 



Over the mountains 

If love cannot leap, 
Down through the valleys 

Unheeded he'll creep. 
Whatever his purpose, 

He'll do it or die; 
And hardships and dangers 

Confess it and fly. 

—Charles Mackay. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 119 



WHAT IS NOBLE? 



What is noble ? Tis the finer 

Portion of our mind and heart, 
Linked to something still diviner 

Than mere language can impart: 
Ever prompting, ever seeing 

Some improvement yet to plan; 
To uplift our fellow being, 

And, like man, to feel for man ! 

—Charles Swain. 



LOVE'S CALENDAR. 



Talk (if love in vernal hours, 

When tin- landscape blushes 
With the dawning glow of flowers, 

While the early thrushes 
Warble in the apple tree; 

When the primrose springing 
From the green bank, lulls the bee 

( )n its blossom swinging. 

Talk of love in summer-tide, 

When, through bosky shallows, 

Trills the streamlet all its side 
Pranked with freckled mallows; 

When in mossy lair of wrens 

Tiny eggs are warming, 
When above the reedy lens 
Dragon-gnats are swarming. 



120 WORDS OF COMFORT. 



Talk of love in autumn days, 

When the fruit, all mellow, 
Drops amid the ripening rays, 

While the leaflets yellow 
Circle in the sluggish breeze 

With their portents bitter; 
When between the fading trees 

Broader sunbeams glitter. 

Talk of love in winter time, 

When the hailstorm hurtles, 
When the robin sparks of rime 

Shakes from hardy myrtles. 
Never speak of love with scorn, 

Such were direst treason; 
Love was made for eve and morn, 

And for every season. 

—Charles Kent. 



WATCHFUL CARE. 



And is there care in heaven ? And is there love 
In heavenly spirits to these creatures base, 

That may compassion of their evils move ? 

There is: — else much more wretched were the case 
Of men than beasts; but O, the exceeding grace 

Of highest God, that loves His creatures so, 

And all His works with mercy doth embrace, 

That blessed angels He sends to and fro, 

To serve to wicked man, to serve His foe! 

— Edmund Spenser. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 121 

DEATH IS NO FOE. 



Pale, trembling watcher, by the dark grave's brink, 

Why dost thou falter ? Wherefore shouldst thou shrink? 

I hath is no foe; and though — still, stealthy, near — 

His creeping footstep breaks upon thine ear; 

Why shouldst thou weep ? With vain regrets away! 

They cannot add, to lapsing life, a day. 

Death cannot come unless it conies from High; 

1 [e mocks his God who meets it with a sigh. 

—Robert T. Conrad. 



DOMESTIC PEACE. 



Tell me, on what holy ground 
May Domestic Peace be found ? 
1 l.ileyon 1 )aughter of the skies, 
Par on fearful wings she flies, 
Prom the pomp of sceptred state, 
From tin- rebel's noisy hate. 

In a COttaged vale she dwells, 

Listening to the Sabbath hells! 
Still around her steps are seen 
Spotless I lonor's meeker mein, 
Love, the sin- of pleasing fears, 

Sorrow smiling through her tears, 
And, Conscious of the past employ, 
Memory, bosom-spring of joy. 

S \ \n i.i. T.n mi; ( iii.i.ki 



122 WORDS OF COMFORT. 



MAN, ONLY, RENDS. 



The hunting tribes of air and earth 
Respect the brethren of their birth; 
Nature, who loves the claim of kind, 
Less cruel chase to each assigned. 
The falcon, poised on soaring wing, 
Watches the wild duck by the spring; 
The slow-hound wakes the fox's lair; 
The grey-hound presses on the hare; 
The eagle pounces on the lamb; 
The wolf devours the fleecy dam; 
Even tiger fell, and sullen bear. 
Their likeness and their lineage spare. 
Man, only, mars kind Nature's plan, 
And turns the fierce pursuit on man; 
Plying war's desultory trade, 
Incursion, flight and ambuscade, 
Since Nimrod, Cush's mighty son, 
At first the bloody game begun. 

—Sir Walter Scott. 



WISDOM. 



Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control, 
These three alone lead life to sovereign power, 
Yet not for power (power of herself 
Would come uncalled for), but to live by law, 
Acting the law we live by without fear; 
And, because right is right, to follow right, 
Were wisdom in the scorn of consequence. 

—Alfred Tennyson. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 128 



THERE'S XO DEARTH OF KINDNESS. 



There's no dearth of kindness 

Or love among mankind, 
But in darkling loneness 

Hooded hearts grow blind! 
Full of kindness tingling, 

Soul is shut from soul, 
When they might be mingling 

In one kindred whole! 

There's no dearth of kindness 

In this world of ours; 
Only in our blindness 

We gather thorns for (lowers! 
O cherish Cod's best giving, 

Falling from above! 
Life were not worth living 

Were it not for Love. 

-^-Gerald Massey. 



THE TRUE MEASURE OF LIFE. 



We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breath; 

In feelings, not in figures on the dial. 

We should count time by heart-throbs when they heat 

For < lod, for man, for duty. He most lives 

Who thinks most, feels noblest, acts the best. 

Life is but a means unto an end that end, 

Beginning, mean, and end to all things, God. 

P, J. Bailei 



124 WORDS OF COMFORT. 



LIFE AND DEATH. 



A brain that burns with its own heat, 
A heart that breaks at every beat, 
A wildering march of weary feet, 
In search of what we may not meet, 
Till found beneath a winding sheet; 
In dreamless slumber, long and sweet, 
Which kindly comes to still all strife, 
Is nature's fiction, known as life. 

To be a thing that cannot die, 
A part of earth, and air, and sky, 
In cosmic arms of love to lie; 
With shaded face and shrouded eye, 
And marble lips that may not sigh 
( )'er shapes of beauty shining by, 
Yet never yearn for bated breath, 
Is nature's fact, — misnamed Death. 

— Alfred W. Akrington. 



ETERNAL PROVIDENCE. 



Light of the world, Immortal mind, 
Father of all the human kind, 
Whose boundless eye, that knows no rest, 
Intent on Nature's ample breast, 
Explores the space of earth and skies, 
And sees eternal incense rise, 
To thee my humble voice I raise; 
Forgive, while I presume to praise. 

—Jonx Langhorne. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 125 



THE SUNSHINE OF THE HEART. 



The sunshine of the heart be mine, 

That beams a charm around; 
Where'er it sheds its ray divine 

Is all enchanted ground! 
No fiend of care may enter there, 

Tho' Fate employ her art: 
Her power tho' mighty, bows to thine, 

Bright sunshine of the heart! 

Beneath the splendor of thy ray 

How lovely all is made! 
Bright fountains in the desert play, 

And palm trees cast their shade; 
Thy morning light is rosy bright, 

And ere thy beams depart, 
Thy waning light still yields delight, 

Sweet sunshine of the heart! 

— Samuel Lover. 



LOVE'S HOME. 

It is not in the mountains 

Nor the palaces of pride 
That Love will fold his wings up 

And rejoicingly abide; 
But in meek and humble natures 

I lis home is ever found, 
As the lark that sings in heaven 

Builds its nest upon the ground. 

— Laman Blanciiakh. 



126 WORDS OF COMFORT. 



PRACTICAL CHARITY. 



An ardent spirit dwells with Christian love, — 
The eagle's vigor in the pitying dove: 
Tis not enough that we with sorrow sigh, 
That we the wants of pleading man supply; 
That we in sympathy with sufferers feel, 
Nor hear a grief without a wish to heal: — 
Not these suffice; to sickness, pain and woe, 
The Christian spirit loves with aid to go; 
Will not be sought, waits not for want to plead, 
But seeks the duty, — nay, prevents the need; 
Her utmost aid to every ill applies, 
And plants relief for coming miseries. 

— Crabbe 



NATURE. 



Look Nature through, 'tis revolution all; 
All change; no death. Day follows night; and night 
The dying day; stars rise and set, and rise; 
Earth takes the example. See, the summer gay, 
With her green chaplet and ambrosial flowers, 
Droops into pallid Autumn: Winter gray, 
Horrid with frost, and turbulent with storm, 
Blows Autumn and his golden fruits away; 
Then melts into Spring; soft Spring, with breath 
Favonian, from warm chambers of the south, 
Recalls the first. All, to re-flourish, fades; 
As in a wheel, all sinks toreascend — 
Emblems of man, who passes, not expires. 

—Young. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 127 



THE PLEASURES OF HOPE. 



Tis summer eve, when heaven's ethereal bow, 
Spans with bright arch the glittering hills below. 
Why to yon mountain turns the musing eye, 
Whose sun-bright summit mingles with the sky.? 
Why do these cliffs of shadowy tint appear 
More sweet than all the landscape smiling near? 
'Tis distance lends enchantment to the view, 
And mbcs the mountain in its azure hue. 
Thus, with delight, we linger to survey: 
The promised joy of life's unmeasured scene 
Mote pleasing seems than all the past hath been; 
And every form that Fancy can repair, 
From dark oblivion, glows divinely there. 

— Campbeli 



KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM. 



Knowledge and Wisdom, far from being one, 

I lave ofttimes no connection. Knowledge dwells 

In heads replete with thoughts of other men; 

Wisdom in minds attentive to their own. 

Knowledge a rude, unprofitable mass, 

The mere materials with which Wisdom builds, 

Till smoothed, and squared, and fitted to its place — 

Does hut encumber whom it seems to enrich. 

Knowledge is proud thai he has learned so much; 

Wisdom is humble that he knows no more. 

— COWPER. 



128 WORDS OF COMFORT. 



HAPPINESS. 



There are in this rude stunning tide 

Of human care and crime, 
With whom the melodies abide 

Of the everlasting chimes, 
Who carry music in their heart. 
Through dusty lane and wrangling mart, 
Plying their daily toil with busier feet, 
Because their secret souls a holy strain repeat. 

— Keble. 



THE DAY OF LIFE. 

The morning comes like a beautiful bride, 

Adorned in her bright array; 
But sweeter far is the evening tide 

To those who have borne the day. 
So life begins with its radiant skies, 

When all is so fair and bright; 
Our sun goes down, but the stars arise 

To show us a sweeter light. 

The body is built up out of the earth, 

And molded in beauty and love; 
The soul, that in heaven must have its birth, 

Comes down to us from above. 
Thus through this world, 'twixt a smile and tear, 

We wander, hope and despond; 
But when life closes the clouds disappear 
To show us the world beyond. 

—Horace P. Biddle. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 129 



HAPPINESS. 



True happiness had no localities; 
No tones provincial; no peculiar garb, 

Where duty went, sin- went; with justice went, 
And went with meekness, charity and love, 
Where'er a tear was dried; a wounded heart 
Bound up; a bruised spirit with the dew 
( >f sympathy anointed; or a pang 
Of honest suffering soothed; or injury 
Repeated oft, as oft by love forgiven : 
Where'er an evil passion was subdued, 
Or virtue's feeble embers fanned; where'er 
A sin was heartily abjured, and left; 
Where'er a pious act was done, or breathed 
A pious prayer, or wished a pious wish, — 
There was a high and holy place, a spot 
1 >f sacred light, a most religious fane, 
Where Happiness, descending; sat and smiled 

— Po 



CHARITY. 



He erred, no doubt, perhaps he sinned; 

Shall I, then, dare to east a stone ? 

Perhaps this blot on a garmenl white 

< omits less than the dingy robes I own. 

George Hough 



130 WORDS OF COMFORT. 



-WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?" 

Wouldst thou a neighbor be where'er thou art ? 

Then to the needy show a feeling heart, 

And though a stranger, helpless, discover 

No less in him a man and a brother. 

But not alone material wants supply; 

Give kindness, hope and gentle sympathy; . 

For many for the lack of these have died, 

When other wants have amply been supplied. 

Thus life will not be dreary, meagre, sad, 

But filled with deeds that other hearts make glad; 

For greater good one need not vainly try; 

This is its own reward and luxury. 

— C. E. Briggs. 



HOW 



'How shall I a habit break ?" 
As you did that habit make; 
As you gathered you must loose; 
As you yielded, now refuse. 
Thread by thread the strand we twist 
Till they bind us neck and wrist; 
Thread by thread the patient hand 
Must untwine ere free we stand. 
As we builded, stone by stone, 
We must toil, unhelped, alone, 
Till the wall is overthrown. 

—John Boyle O'Reilly. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 131 



THOUGHT. 



Thought is deeper than all speech, 
Feeling deeper than all thought; 

Souls to souls can never teach 

What unto themselves was taught. 

We are spirits clad in veils; 

Mau by man was never seen; 
All our deep communing fails 

To remove the shadowy screen. 

Only when our souls are fed 

By the fount which gave them birth, 
And by inspiration led 

Which they never drew from earth, 

We, like parted drops of rain, 

Swelling till they meet and run, 
Shall be all absorbed again, 

Melting, flowing into one. 

—Christopher Pearse 



THOUGHTS. 



We do nut make our thoughts; they grow in us, 
Like grain in wood; the growth is of the skies, 
Which are "i nature; nature is ol < lod. 
The world is full <>f glorious likenesses. 

P. |. Bailey. 



182 WORDS OF COMFORT. 



HE LIVES LONG WHO LIVES WELL. 



Wouldst thou live long? The only means are these — 

'Bove Galen's diet, or Hippocrates': 

Strive to live well; tread in the upright ways, 

And rather count thy actions than thy days. 

Then thou hast lived enough amongst us here, 

For every day well spent I count a year. 

Live well, and then, how soon soe'er thou die, 

Thou art of age to claim eternity. 

But he that outlives Nestor, and appears 

To have passed the date of gray Methuselah's years, 

If he his life to sloth and sin doth give, 

I say he only was — he did not live. 

— Randolph. 



BONDS OF AFFECTION. 



There is in life no blessing like affection; 
It soothes, it hallows, elevates, subdues, 
And bringeth down to earth its native heaven. 
It sits beside the cradle patient hours, 
Whose sole contentment is to watch and lo\ e; 
It bendeth o'er the death-bed, and conceals 
Its own despair with words of faith and hope. 
Life has naught else that may supply its place; 
Void is ambition, cold is vanity, 
And wealth an empty glitter, without love. 

— Landon. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 133 



"GOOD MORNING." 

Life! we've been long together, 
Through pleasant and through cloudy weather; 
'Tis hard to part when friends are dear; 
Perhaps 'twill cost a sigh, a tear; 

Then steal away, give little warning, 
Choose thine own time; 
Say not "Good-Night," hut in some brighter clime, 

Bid me " I rood-Morning." 

— Annie Letitia Barbauld. 



LIFE AND DEATH. 



The ports of death are sins; of life, good deeds; 
Through which our merit leads us to our meeds. 
How wilful blind is he, then, that would stay, 
And hath it in his powers to make his way. 

Tin's world death's region is; the other, life's; 

And here, it should be one of our first strifes 
So to front death as men might judge us past it; 
I or ood men but see death, the wicked taste it. 

—ben Jon- 
resolution. 

Each >U;;\ 
Thai carried .shame and wrong shall be the sting 
Thai drives me higher up the sleep of honor 
In deed ol duteous service. 



134 WORDS OF COMFORT. 



CONSOLATION. 



For well I know o'er sunny seas 

The blue bird waits for April skies, 
And at the roots of forest trees 
The May flowers sleep in fragrant ease, 

And violets hide their azure eyes. 
O, thou by winds of grief o'erblown, 

Beside some golden summer's bier, 
Take heart! thy birds are only flown, 
Thy blossoms sleeping, tearful-sown, 

To greet thee in the immortal year. 

— Procter. 



REQUIREMENT. 

We live by Faith; but faith is not the slave 

Of text and legend. Reason's voice and God's, 
Nature's and Duty's, never are at odds. 
What asks our Father of His children, save 
Justice and mercy and humility, 

A reasonable service of good deeds, 
Pure living, tenderness to human needs, . 
Reverence and trust, and prayer for light to see 
The Master's footprints in our daily ways? 
No knotted scourge nor sacrificial knife, 
But the calm beauty of an ordered life, 
Whose very breathing is unworded praise! — 
A life that stands, as all true lives have stood, 
Firm-rooted in the faith that God is good. 

— John Greenleaf Whittier. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 135 



A BIRD LESSON. 



If you cannot give aid to another, 

Do not boast you are stronger than he. 
It is said of the birds on their passage 

< )'ii' the Mediterranean Sea, 
That the storks, who are larger and stronger, 

When they start on their wearisome flight, 
Take the wrens on their backs, and the birdlings, 

Who would else be in sorrowful plight. 

— Amanda Shaw Elseffer. 



ALL'S WELL. 

The I louds, which rise with thunder, slake 

( fur thirsty souls with rain; 
The blow most dreaded falls to break 

From off our limbs a chain; 
And wrongs of man to man but make 

The love of < rod more plain. 
As through the shadowy lens of even 

The eye looks farthest into heaven 
i in l leams of star and depths of blue 

The -Taring sunshine never knew! 

JOHN ( rREENLEAF Whittier. 



136 WORDS OF COMFORT. 



HOW TO LIVE. 



So live, that when thy summons comes to join 
The innumerable caravan, that moves 
To that mysterious realm where each shall take 
His chamber in the silent halls of death, 
Thou go, not like the quarry slave at night, 
Scourged to his dungeon; but, sustained and soothed 
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave 
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch 
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams. 

— William Cullen Bryant. 



MANKIND. 



Men are but children of a larger growth; 
Our appetites as apt to change as theirs, 
And full as craving, too, and full as vain; 
And yet the soul, shut up in her dark room, 
Viewing so clear abroad, at home sees nothing; 
But, like a mole in earth, busy and blind, 
Works all her folly up and casts it outward 
To the world's open view. 

—John Dryden. 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 131 



SELFISHNESS. 



Oh, if the selfish knew how much they lost, 
What would they not endeavor, not endure, 
To imitate as far as in them lay 
Him who his wisdom and his power employs 
In making others happy? 

—William Cowper. 



THE POWER. 



God should be named, The Power; 

He has so many names, 
In mosque, and church, and tower, 

And with so many aims, 
Their meanings have no verity 

To cherish in the memory. 

The Power that is All-Good 

All o'er man's home — the Earth, 
Should he well understood 

Wherever man has birth, 
And its true meaning not mistaken, 
Nor faith in Tin- Power ever shaken. 

It should he well ap|Uo\ ed 

Known simply as The Pow er 

And worshipped and beloved 
In silence every hour, 

lly every mind, and soul, and heart, 

In faith that never w ill depart. 



138 WORDS OF COMFORT. 



The Power that is omniscient, 

Throughout infinity, 
Omnipotent and prescient, 

As the Divinity, 
Should be known in diurnity 
As The Power in eternity! 

He is The Power of powers, 

The Infinity of Power 
In the eternity of hours, 

And seconds in each hour, 
In passing time's diurnal 
And the infinite eternal. 

—Horace P. Biimjle. 



MINORITY RIGHT. 

Then, my friend, we must not regard what the many 
say of us; but what he, the one man who has understand- 
ing of just and unjust, will say and what the truth will 
say. And therefore you begin in error when you suggest 
that we should regard the opinion of the many about just 
and unjust, honorable and dishonorable. 

— Plato. 



A VISION. 



And the murky planets, I perceived, were but cradles 
for the infant spirits of the universe of light. And in 
sight of this immeasurability of life no sadness could 
endure. And I exclaimed, Oh! how beautiful is death, 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 130 



seeing that we die in a world of life and of creation with- 
out end. And I blessed God for my life upon earth, but 
much more for the life in those unseen depths of the uni- 
verse which are emptied of all but the Supreme Reality 
and where no earthly life or perishable hope can enter. 

— RlCHTER. 



PLEASURE AND PAIN. 

How singular is the thing called pleasure, and how 
curiously related to pain, which might be thought to be 
the opposite; for they never come to a man together, and 
yet he who pursues either of them is generally compelled 
to take the other. They are two, and yet they grow 
together out of one head or stem; and I cannot help think- 
ing that, if .Ksop had noticed them, he would have made 
a fable about Cod trying to reconcile their strife, and 
when he could not, he fastened their heads together; 
and this is the reason why when one comes, the other 

follows. 

Plato. 



KINDRED SPIRITS. 

I. ile has two ecstatic moments, one when the spirit 
catches sighl of Truth, the other when it recognizes a 

kindred spirit. Perhaps it is only in the land of Truth 
thai s|,mt->< ,m dis( em ea< h other; as it is when they are 

helping each other on that they maj best hope to arrive 

there. 

( Iuesses at Truth. 



140 WORDS OF COMFORT. 

UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD. 



To what purpose do you profess to believe in the unity 
of the human race, which is the necessary consequence 
of the unity of God, if you do not strive to verify it by 
destroying the arbitrary divisions and enmities that still 
separate the different tribes of humanity ? Why do we talk 
of fraternity while we allow any of our brethren to be 
trampled on, degraded or despised ? The earth is our 
workshop. We may not curse it; we are hound tosanctify 
it. We must strive to make of humanity one single 
family. 

— Mazzini. 



WATCH AND PRAY. 



As hills are smaller mountains, 
And lakes an: mimic seas, 

And rills egress of fountains, 
And meadows poets' leas; 

As music's soul-inspiring sounds, 
While trav'ling o'er the main, 

By vernal breezes, in their rounds, 
Are wafted back again; 

As meteors, shooting to and fro, 
Are births of unseen sun, 

And shadow of the rainbow 
So like the real one: 



WORDS OF COMFORT. 141 



So also satan imitates 

The beauteous and divine, 
And seemingly approximates 

Near to the genuine. 

1 [e comes with counterfeit of right 
(His neck clothed with the thunder), 

With practice of bis cunning sleight, 
And mock of God-wrought wonder. 

I [e seeks to baffle Love's behest, 
With pretence of no harm, 

While all his ways and works, at best, 
Are but a juggler's charm. 

Thank God for a diviner way, 

And for His plan eternal, 
And for His right, and might to stay 

The spread of the infernal. 

Faith's incorporeal eye can see 

Through tricks of magic foes; 
With lift of heart and bend of knee, 
The veil re gauzy grows. 

" Watch and pray." 

—Wesley Lee Walls. 



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